In today’s world, we can see many products that are knockoffs of the originals. The popularity and acceptance of the original products and their advertisements and massive sales prompted others to create replicas of these genuine products. Always fake product production shifts in response to the trend of original products. The features of authentic products strive to keep them unique in the market, while duplicates attempt to imitate these originals. Two different visions!
“Your uniqueness can become distorted if you lose focus on your calling and start concentrating on what others are doing” Yes! The purpose makes you unique, so you must know who you are by identifying yourself. When we look at the Bible, we can see how God uses people to carry out His plan in unique ways. It means that we are called for different purposes, which determines our identity.
However, as humans, we are always influenced by others, and we frequently copy what others do when we observe their success. The reason for this is that no one wants to go through painful preparation; instead, everyone wants to be a finished product without having to go through the process. A true leader arises when he can realize God’s plan and lead his life accordingly. A leader should have a God-given vision and should be able to communicate that vision to his teammates from the same point of view. It is not a one-person show for Christian leadership; instead, it is a fellowship.
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1). These are Apostle Paul’s greatest words where he reveals the uniqueness of calling. The Epistle to the Ephesian Church was written while Paul was in Roman prison, and while he was in prison, he tells us to “live a life worthy of the calling,” the most important thing we should remember. Paul was content even in prison because he grasped God’s purpose. As a result, when he moved by God’s purpose, his worldly reputation was gone, and he saw himself as trash in the eyes of the world. (1Cor4:13). However, when viewed through the lens of the Kingdom of God, Apostle Paul is one of the greatest leaders ever recorded in the Bible. He was the leader who was able to carry out God’s will and was able to communicate the God-given vision to his companions, not only conveying but also correcting and re-directing others (churches and co-workers) by God’s plan. His companions, such as Barnabas, Timothy, and others, understood his vision, and they all followed his lead, which is the mark of a successful leader; toward the end of his life, Paul could see he had fought the good fight, he had finished the race, and he had kept his faith. (2Tim4:7).
Although Jesus could have become a good political leader and brought freedom to the Jews from Roman rule, because he knew His purpose, he rejected the public’s motive to make him a political king. Moreover, what he did was that some men who appeared unworthy in the eyes of the public were taken out by him and taught about the real Kingdom of God to come and called them disciples. They had an entirely new view of the Messiah and Kingdom of God after they encountered Jesus, and as a result, they were able to stand for the Kingdom of God in the face of severe persecution. Jesus was a great leader who was able to influence his followers and disciples and lead them toward the vision of God.
In following Jesus, Paul imitated his example, allowing his way to becoming unique, just as he connected with his call. When we hear Jesus, we make our way unique and re-correct it according to God’s plan.
All of us are born leaders, and the amount of obedience to God’s voice determines our leadership and the uniqueness of our leadership. Even in the middle of problems, if you are confirmed in your call, you will respond through leadership’s eyes, which will take out a true leader from you. Then ‘you,’ the original product will remain original in the middle of imitators.
