“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
“But I’m not like them, Lord,” I spoke in my heart to the Lord.
“I didn’t create you to be like them,” the Spirit of God essentially spoke to my heart. “I created you to be like me.”
Ever felt discouraged because you’re not like everyone else around you? Felt like you don’t fit into certain crowds of people? Like you stick out from everyone else? Like you’re totally different?
I love people so incredibly much, but I do much better one on one or in small groups rather than big crowds, especially big social gatherings. I don’t like small talk, and when I’m in a big group of people talking about manicures and recipes, the latest movie and which restaurant just opened up around the corner, the truth is I’d rather be out on the street preaching the Gospel to a lonely, broken, hurting, filthy, smelly, desperate homeless person than I want to be in a group of dressed up people with perfect social etiquette. I love Jesus more than anything and anyone in the universe, and my two favorite things and desires in the universe are to love and worship God forever and to tell the world about Jesus Christ. Sometimes I find myself in a social gathering, even a Christian one, and I feel different, and even discouraged, because I’m not really interested in idle chatter about this or that. I want to be talking about Jesus – and serving Him! Does that make anyone around me wrong? No! Does that make me wrong for feeling like I don’t fit in? No!
Just like the Lord reminded me that day, He didn’t create us to look like the world. He created us to love and worship God forever and to ever grow closer to Him and be increasingly conformed to His image, becoming more and more like Him.
Sometimes we get discouraged because we compare ourselves to the world around us. We need to take our eyes off the world and focus on the Lord and His Word and seek to please and look like Him instead of to please people and look like them.
Please don’t be discouraged if you find yourself not fitting into the mainstream. Be the man or woman of God He created you to be. Do what He wants you to do, go where He wants you to go, pursue what He wants you to pursue, use the gifts He has given you, don’t try to look like the world, but surrender yourself wholly to the Lord. He didn’t create us to follow the world. He created us to follow Himself. So may we follow Him!