different

I have heard and used the word a lot lately and yet I am not convinced that it has a universally understood meaning. The word is "different". Webster's dictionary defines it as "not the same as another or each other; distinct." Maybe you have heard the phrase, "a good different or a bad different"?

Recently a close friend said to me, "your car smells different"- instead of asking whether she meant good or bad, I assumed the latter. I took it as more of an insult than a compliment. The same has been true in many conversations I have had with both friends and family about how this Christmas is going to be "different" and most people seemed to have the same understanding of the word as I did. I have let my redefining of the word determine the way I understand conversations and situations, and this has become especially true in this holiday season. Maybe you have done the same, consider this with me.

Does the above definition of "different" say anything or insinuate anything negative? Did my friend tell me my car smelled bad, or just different? Does the fact that this year's Christmas plans are a little different than years past mean that it will not be as good? I am guilty of answering yes without reason to all of those questions and more. I have redefined "different" from "not the same as another" to "not as good as another," and it is an incorrect definition.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:6-8)

To sum it up- if you can prophesy, you are better than someone who teaches. If you are a giver, you have overcome the gift of the encourager. Most of all, if you are kind, you have received a superior gift over all others... not true. Changing the words in this verse is comparable with changing the definition of a word that is used regularly, giving it a negative connotation instead of a neutral or positive one. 

Can we consider "different" as positive? What if my car smelled better that day than normal and that is why it was different? Maybe Christmas with new traditions and trying new things can be better than the traditions that have happened for the last decade(s)? What if we default to the "good different" instead of the bad?

Just as God has given each of us different and equally important gifts, a change in plans or circumstance may be the catalyst for something good. When we say, "this Christmas will be different," it actually could be better and not worse. As we go through this holiday and the ones to come, let's try to default to the "good different" and go back to the original definition instead of the one that we may have altered on our own, even if it happened without realization. It is hard, but what can we lose?

Whether this Christmas be full of old traditions or new experiences for you, let us strive to make it different in a good way. Whether people are absent or new people are present, no matter whose house or what city, whether it's on Christmas day or not- no matter the circumstance- this one can be a good one. Different can be subjective, let's choose the "good different"- this Christmas day, and every day after.