MelAdair

Women love movie heroes that are brave, unyielding, steadfast... a gun slung over the shoulder, hat tipped low, fresh wound bleeding down the rugged, whiskery, and hyper masculine jaw line.  Better yet is when our hero marches up to his defiant lover whom he roughly pulls into his arms and thoroughly yet passionately kisses.  Strong and tender.  Remarkable.

Men love movie heroines who are sassy, sharp, and smartly provocative.  This girl knows how to hold her own physically and mentally and somehow empowers her man, friends, and children towards greatness.  Strong and tender.  Remarkable.

Brave, courageous, adventurous, outgoing, determined, strong, not easily discouraged... these words describe a remarkable person.  A remarkable person would leave me hungry for what they have.  A remarkable person would have a contagious spirit.  A remarkable person would have the mindset of a soldier - steadfast and true. 

Sad truth-  being remarkable is politically incorrect, nonreligious and unAmerican.  This person is considered stubborn, hard, strong-willed, defiant, controlling, irreverent, non-traditional, and a tad crazy.  

We want our heroes and heroines strong but our partners weak.  We shop for remarkable and then ask to disable that feature with a flick of a switch when we commit.  Our selfish desire is compliance.  There are some people who are strong enough to love and admire a remarkable partner, but they are the minority.  Personal insecurities plague the majority who feels threatened by this strength and then manipulate the good trait with negative descriptions.  

If what the Bible says is true, then we are all remarkable as we are made in the image of God, but who really believes that?  Even if someone calls themselves a Christian they are betrayed with their own thoughts of sinfulness leading to feelings of worthlessness and guilt.  How could God use someone so unremarkable?

Numerous men and women of our age as well as biblical figures are certainly considered remarkable.  These people have lead nations, written profound truths, experimented and developed scientific methods that have revolutionized our world... all remarkable things.  And yet, if you were to sit down to coffee with their spouse, friends, and family, I'm sure that a few unremarkable traits would be brought up.  Workaholic, short temper, slob, picky eater, enabler, scatter-brained...  utterly human.  And yet....  remarkable. 

Remarkable exists.  We just have to be careful to not label it something different.  We have to be comfortable enough in our own skins that when we encounter the remarkable in someone else we can appreciate it for what it truly is.  Everyone has some divine remarkable in them, despite their humanity.  Intentionally searching for it, empowering it, then continuing to encourage it, despite personality flaws, would revolutionize our world.

Dare to be remarkable yourself.  Dare others to be remarkable too.