Okay, so we’ve all heard it: “If so-and-so jumps off a bridge, will you do it to?” In the storm of our teenage angst, this is so not cool! I know you have been there too-just wanting to be like everyone else-even at the risk of losing who you are as an individual.
This brings to mind a silly little story of when I was in the 5th grade. The cool group of girls decided that Wednesday was going to be “Units Day.” Don’t you remember that early 90’s fad of those cotton mix and match outfits with the colorful bandos to go with them? Well, Wednesday was going to be the day where everyone would wear their outfit. Here’s the problem, it was Tuesday and I had already worn my own units outfit the day before! Uh OH! I decided that I would commit the cardinal sin of not wearing the same outfit in the same week and I would definitely participate in this fashion day. So, I had my mom wash my Units getup and I went on my merry way to school. I just know they were snickering when I showed up with the clothes I had just worn on Monday! The things we go through just to fit in-and it wasn’t even that cute!
The Israelites were doing just this in the book of 1 Samuel. They were tired of having just a judge to oversee them and I am thinking that their worship in God was lacking. Check out the request they brought to Samuel:
1 Samuel 8:20
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
Let’s just focus in on “be like all the other nations” right now. Here’s the problem with that, the Israelites were the chosen people of God. They were to be holy and different from the pagan nations around them who worshiped false gods and rebelled against their Creator God.
This is where we, as Christians, fit into this picture. We are also chosen by God once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are set apart for Him and chosen to be different than the world around us.
Philippians 3:19-20 (New International Version)
19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ
Why would God want us to go through the trouble of being different? Most of the time, being different hurts and is frustrating. Our citizenship is in Heaven with our LORD. This world is temporary, but our eternal Home is where we want to get comfortable.
God calls us to stick out like a sour thumb, to go against the grain, to just be different because this makes people want to know what it is about us that makes us stand out. When we show love for an unloving neighbor, forgiveness to a mean co-worker, compassion during a mission trip, boldness as we stand up for the underdog and bravery as we proclaim the Word of God, this makes people around us want what we have. We are being a witness of Christ when we are citizens of Heaven.
So, next time are tempted to just go with the flow-resist! Being a follower of Christ is not always popular, but you can rest assured your reward will come one day when you make it to your eternal home as a citizen of Heaven.