I have heard this term for most of my life and don’t consider it bad at all. When I told a co-worker he was peculiar, he became angry. I tried to explain that being different from others isn’t always bad, but I guess he didn’t want to be different.
Jim would definitely be considered “peculiar.” I was his supervisor in the Air Force and was amazed when he included GOD in almost every conversation. He called people “brother” and “sister” and referred to good things as “blessings.” He was very capable and people often turned to him for help. He was also athletic and friendly, which made it easy for him to make friends. He wasn’t perfect, but he was “peculiar” in a good way and we have been friends for more than 25 years.
I met another “peculiar” person when I was an usher at La Vernia Christian Teaching Center. Robert was born with many physical challenges and went through numerous operations as a child to help him live a normal life. As a minority, he overcame even more challenges. He could have become angry and bitter, but he let GOD into his heart and he became a peculiar treasure. He and his older brother had long careers as Barbers, which helped him provide for his family, but standing on his feet all day added to his physical problems. He had to retire when his wife got sick and lost most of the use of her hands. Even with all of that, he has been a faithful usher at our Church. He makes the 70 mile (round trip) journey every Sunday and Wednesday. Even when his daughter-in- law passed away and his grandchildren needed more of his attention, Robert continued to faithfully support the Church and the ministry..
I have to include another “peculiar” person. In his 40s, this man was a crane operator, owned 5 businesses, had a western band, served on the Church board and had a small ranch in La Vernia. He worked, played and drank hard until GOD saved him and he became one of those “peculiar” people. He stopped drinking, cussing and playing in night-clubs. With a limited formal education, he began to study the Bible and tell others about this JESUS he fell in love with. He was also miraculously healed from a brain tumor that should have made him a vegetable. Healing was a big part of his ministry when he began to preach. In obedience to GOD, he sold his businesses, and built a Church and a Christian school. At 87, he is still going strong for the LORD. He added caring for his wife to his list of duties, yet he opens the Church, preaches strong Bible-based messages and is the last one to leave.
There is a good reason for these people to seem different. They are not like “normal” people. GOD made them “a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people… who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 KJV). GOD set the standard for “peculiar” when He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Isn’t that “peculiar” behavior for a god? GOD is different and that is great for we who so desperately need a Savior!
Wayne Lance (2017)