I Am Unique Because

I was going through old folders a few days ago and ran across this incredible writing by a beautiful and gifted teenager named Summer Sky. I was so deeply blessed by this precious daughter of God and I just had to share her experience with you. May you be touched by her life-changing story.

I’m Unique Because…

I am unique because of a complex and pleasant blend of biological singularities and distinctive life experiences. In other words, I owe my unique nature to two things: how I have been created and what I have encountered in my lifetime.

Biologically, I am like no one on earth. Consider fingerprints. The tiny, curving valleys that score my fingertips cannot be compared to anyone else; together they form such a unique and identifying signature that, were I to leave them in an incriminating location, my identity could be sifted through those of all other inhabitants on the planet and be discovered in moments. In the same way, my appearance is completely unique to me: no one in creation possesses the same curve of the jaw, the same slight underbite, the same petite nose, almond eyes and tightly curled hair as I do. I am distinctive because I have been formed from an exclusive pattern by a remarkably creative God, and it is this same God Who continues to form me by causing me to meet various circumstances that will slowly and deliberately sculpt me into the person He wants me to be, and though I am not that person yet, I am continually changing as a result of the unique experiences that I have faced.

In this regard, I have been blessed beyond all conception. I have a wonderful family that buffers me from many experiences that unfortunate others must endure. My two brothers invoke the perfect balance of fondness and exasperation in me to cause me to appreciate them and beg forgiveness of them many times a day, and my parents model friendship and perseverance without reservation. It is because of these people that the biggest and most unique event of my life didn’t tear me apart, but built me up instead. In September 2001, we went on a family vacation to New York City. As luck (or design) would have it, we were extremely close to the World Trade Center Towers at the time of their fall.

Three blocks from the cascading towers and surrounded by the swirling sounds of crashing metal and wailing voices, I discovered the most unique aspect of my own self: my relationship with my Creator. From that time on, it has been a bond marked by unhindered, blatant trust and dependence. Like my fingerprints, my connection with Him is utterly singular: no one on earth has the exact same link with Him, and I am genuinely thankful for that fact. It is because of Him that I am as unique as I am.

– Summer Star