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Topic: Breaking the Rules (08/16/04)
TITLE: Don't Belong By Sherri Fulmer Moorer 08/16/04 |
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Despite all you do to impress the world, you will never make everybody happy. Someone will always have a problem with something you have said or done. We are surrounded by ideals of what a good person should be, and it’s hard not to take in all of this information and compare ourselves with more “ideal” people. Everywhere you look, there is always somebody that you should strive to be more like – the person everybody at the office loves, the talented athlete, the gifted musician, the do-it-all supermom, or the beautiful models that grace magazine covers. Ideals of “perfection” are all around us, and it’s hard to remember that humanity is imperfect when the flaws of others are hidden so well.
This is garbage, and the sooner we quit taking it in, the sooner we’ll quit putting it out. We are all unique creations of God. We are given what we need in order to do what we are supposed to do in our time on earth. God told Jeremiah “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5 RSV), and He meant it for each and every one of us as well. We would be wise to embrace our differences and use them to serve God.
This is difficult, because people usually chastise differences. It seems the world is always trying to fit us into a mold that is considered acceptable by the majority. We are all different, but most people work hard to hide their differences for worldly acceptance. What a shame that they work to root out the very thing God finds valuable in them.
Since when does anybody have a right to squeeze you into a mold? We are told, “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2 RSV). Your purpose is to love and obey God, and to serve Him through your belief in Christ. Other people have no idea what God has put in your heart. They have no right to pass judgment on how God made you or where He leads you. God made us the way we are to serve Him, not the majority. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop people from judging, so you have to find a way to shift your focus to the One that is the final authority if you want to find any peace.
Although it might be easier to go with the flow, we were designed to follow an individual path. The Bible asks us “who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4 RSV). I have come to terms with the fact that I do not want to be part of the “in” crowd if it will make me anything less than God created me to be. The majority may not like it, but I am at peace with myself through Christ and will change what He leads me to change.
Please know that God loves you just the way you are, and He does not want you to change for acceptance from society. Remain true to yourself as God made you, and you will never go wrong. In the end of all things, you will never be asked why you weren’t like somebody else – you will be asked why you weren’t yourself.