No One Experiences Things Like You Do!

“My gosh you guys are twins!” declared a young lady who entered a retail store as my brother and I walked out.

To be honest, I had never thought my brother was that good looking, but who was I to argue with the absolutely unsolicited and unbiased opinion of a rather lovely young lady?

It’s true we do look a bit alike and there are many areas where we think alike as well. After all, we have similar DNA, grew up in the same home, slept in the same bedroom growing up, were raised by the same parents, attended the same schools, and even graduated from the same college. Today we both attend churches in the same denomination, have stayed married to our first wives, always get our hair cut about the same way, vote the same way, have similar opinions on many matters, sound alike when talking on the phone, and even play the piano in a similar manner (not very well).

All those external similarities, however, mask some very significant differences. He likes the hard sciences such as math and physics but I prefer softer subjects like philosophy and theology. As a young man he joined the Navy to fly jets while I went to Africa to preach the gospel. For most of his life he has worked within a corporation, I have always worked for myself.

If we were raised in the same environment why are we so different from one another? After all, we saw the same things, heard the same messages from our parents, attended the same schools, and experienced life in the same culture.

Here’s the difference: We saw the same things but through different eyes. We heard the same messages but processed them through our own unique channels. We were taught the same lessons but learned them in our own distinctive ways. Hence, we are poles apart in some ways and quite similar in others.

You too are the only person who experiences life the way you do. You sort out each thing that happens to you in your very own way. Every person you meet, every event you attend, every book you read, every sermon you hear, every mistake you make, every challenge you face, every victory you win, every failure you endure, every love you feel, every path you walk is completely and uniquely your own.

You are something special because of the exclusive way you see your world! It’s what makes you - you! It’s what makes you special!