I’ve been telling my daughter to “be different” for years. And sometimes I have to remind her (and myself) that being different also means you have to be bold and brave. It can be a hard and occasionally lonely life, but choosing to be in the world but not of it (John 17) means that you are pleasing and glorifying God, and that, above all, needs to be the aim of true Christians.
Do This, Don’t Do That
The world lives so far from God’s commands that it’s pretty easy to see many of the negative commands of what not to do, and why. Even way back in Moses’ day, God told the Israelites to be different: “So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life” (Leviticus 18:3 NLT). Notice that God didn’t tell the Israelites to avoid those people, just not to adopt their ways. The Israelites were to be a light in the darkness. Well, the world is still dark and God’s Word is still true. But, a simple “Don’t touch that stove! It’s hot and will burn you!” will only get you so far when you are hungry and need to cook supper.
Being different requires that you know, not only what not to do, but also the positive commands of what to do. In Colossians 3, Paul gives Christians a succinct list of things to “put off,” and things to “put on.” But, it’s not an exhaustive list of everything we need to know. That kind of knowledge requires a lifetime of deep Bible study as well as a heart tuned to the Holy Spirit, listening to His voice for guidance.
However, being different isn’t just an action, in and of itself—or, at least, it shouldn’t be. That can quickly lead you down a prideful path where you start thinking you are a better person than someone else just because you are behaving differently than “those sinful people” in one particular scenario or another. You might even be guilty of forgetting that we are all sinful creatures, and that is exactly why we need our Savior in the first place.
Truly being different is the result of striving, often imperfectly, to live a godly life every day, in every situation. We need to develop a general renewing of our minds, as Paul told the Roman Christians: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12-2 ESV). There should be no need to verbalize that you are a godly man or a godly woman to someone if your transformed life reflects and gives honor and glory to God. Your difference should be undeniable to anyone who meets you.
But, don’t expect high fives and kudos for that difference—not even from other Christians. God never said following Him would be easy.
It Won’t Be Easy
In many parts of the world, simply being a Christian can get you seriously injured, or possibly killed. Even living in a relatively safe area, representing and reflecting God’s character can cause you to become a magnet for bullies and haters, and some of those people personally call themselves Christians.
I did a quick internet search on bullying and found an article from a 2013 issue of Psychology Today. It lists four factors that can cause you to become a target for bullying. Can you guess what the first factor is? Bingo! “You are different.” I wasn’t surprised by that at all.
There are news stories every day of people being bullied, and worse, just for being different. Haters typically like to target people who they think can’t or won’t fight back. Sometimes those people are disabled, sometimes they are exceptionally creative or intelligent, sometimes they are in a different socio-economic class, sometimes they are simply living out their faith, sometimes the difference isn’t even real—just perceived. There is no age or gender that is exempt from being either a perpetrator or a victim of abuse. Sadly, even people in the Christian community, which is sharply divided along an ever widening progressive-evangelical line, can get caught up in a bullying mentality toward other Christians.
Anywhere we turn, we are susceptible to attack. But that’s not a new or modern phenomenon. Ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the world has lived a life that is antithetical to God. Cain murdered his own brother, just because Abel’s sacrifice pleased God and Cain’s didn’t (Genesis 4). But, as long as we continue to exist in our mortal bodies this is still our world, and God calls Christians, as His representatives, to reflect His character, regardless of the consequences.
Eternal Blessings
But faithfulness to God, in spite of its subsequent potential earthly trouble, is not without blessing. Jesus, Himself, in His Sermon on the Mount, said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). And so they persecuted Jesus, also.
What a good reminder that our ultimate home is not in this world, but the next, and that God sees and blesses us for the troubles that come our way because of our “difference.”
God calls us to honor and glorify Him. In this world, that requires us to be bold, to be brave, to be different, and quite possibly, to suffer. So, keep an eternal perspective, stay in God’s Word, lean on the Holy Spirit, and never forget that our eternal rewards will far outweigh any sufferings we have to endure in this often dark, fallen, temporal life.
Candle image by ManaliBalsara from Pixabay
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