Do You Fit In?
“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph. 4:22-24 ESV
You wonder why I don’t fit into this world, into the US culture anyway. My neighbor pulled up in his lime green work van as I walked along in the glorious sunshine a day after the second tropical storm in several weeks. We chatted. He was obviously discouraged, looked beaten down by life, and I was trying to point him to the Lord as I’ve got the fire for evangelism ever in my heart and continually pouring out of my mouth. Off I went. Minutes later I laughed aloud at the picture. I was un-showered, hair askew and tied up haphazardly, dressed in a bright green tank top over a visible fuchsia sports top with black athletic shorts, and almost knee-tall rubber BOOTS in 80-plus degree weather to muck my way through the flooding in my yard, too lazy to take them off for walking. There I had stood swatting flies and talking his ear off about the Lord before I pranced off dragging paralyzed dog Mr. Simeon in his wheelchair behind me given my impatience and his slow walking. It hadn’t crossed my mind as I talked to my neighbor how ridiculous I looked.
Lightheartedness aside, I could not be a worse fit for this world regardless of how I dress. Writing and publishing my 6th book, a devotional called Follower, was the perfect opportunity for me to write about and encourage people to do what we are all called to do. Repent. Believe in Christ as Lord. Turn to God. Follow Jesus. Christ followers don’t fit into this world. We are only passing through on our way to eternity with God, called to help others to come into God’s Kingdom and join us on the highway to forever with God in heaven. We are commanded to leave behind the world’s ways and follow God’s ways. We don’t need to dress as amusedly as I did that day, but we are called to outfit ourselves in Christ’s ways. And, when we deny our flesh and take up our crosses and learn to live the way God calls us to, we will NOT fit into this world. If we are genuinely following Christ, we will stand out from the world as different because we have turned our backs on worldliness and truly come to the Lord. It can be hard sometimes to stick out as different for following Christ, and even be rejected and hated for it at times.
But how glorious it is to know we are being outfitted, prepared, trained, refined, transformed, made ready for everlasting life with the Lord! If you’re a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t fit into this world. But turning to God and living for Him will secure for you the greatest blessing of all. Forever fellowship with the Lord!