I am now 52 years old, and it has taken all those years to become aware of how God created me.

At an early age, I noticed that I was different from other kids. I could remember things easily. That meant I didn’t spend long hours studying like the other students did. I would listen in class or read the textbook, and I could recall most of it without effort.

In college, I maintained an average GPA with little work. I had learned to absorb enough information to pass tests and do my assignments while having a very active social life. This was the first place I started to see differences in my brain. I read books very slowly compared to most people, but I never forget big-picture ideas and significant insights.

Finally, I entered the ministry and began to feel a vast separation when talking to other pastors. My experiences, sermons I had heard, lessons I was taught, and information I received were indelibly etched in my brain. Before our phones carried all this information, I used to walk around repeating other people’s sermons I had recently heard. Through the years, I was able to build a warehouse of stuff in my brain that I now use every week to write sermons and preach from memory.

I hesitate to talk about this much because, as you may be thinking to yourself, people can hear this as me having a huge ego. What I want people to know, this is not about me. God gave me a gift. I do not recall everything I have experienced. Still, significant lessons and experiences are burned into my brain, and I can remember them with nearly perfect accuracy as far back as when I was two years old. I did not have to work to become like this, although I do work at keeping lists to ease my anxiety.

Almost daily, someone will comment to me about my memory; while it can be flattering, I want people to know it is all about God. He created me with a unique attribute, and I am trying to use it for his glory. I could spend hours telling you about the downside to this gift, but I try to emphasize that I believe God made me this way so that I could serve him as a pastor.

Here is the thing: I believe this is true for everyone. Each one of us has some gift that separates us from others. It could be a strong work ethic, empathy, a particular skill or ability, personality, or a thousand other things. We are all God’s unique creation and have something to offer the world that will bring him glory.

I spent 51 years downplaying how God made me, and lately, I am starting to embrace it. Not to bring myself glory but to underline that we can use our uniqueness for God’s glory. I hope you will use your special gifts alongside me to make more and better disciples. In the end, it’s all about God.