Long I stood in the pet store trying to find the chameleon. I felt pretty stupid considering it was in a glass enclosure that wasn’t overly large. Finally I saw it, but only after it moved. As I examined how well it blended in I remembered the first time I ever saw one. When I was a little boy someone brought one to church. I remember being told how evil it would be if we blended into our culture and people couldn’t tell we were Christians. They quoted Romans 12:2 and made a real impression on me.
Years later when I was a teen all I wanted to do was to blend in. It is a common characteristic of early teens. They have so many changes happening to them physically and mentally they don’t want to look or act weird. Even as we age, to be reasonably fashionable is not something to shun. To be modestly dressed in the manner of the day is not wrong. One of the best advertisements for a product is to be appealing and we would not make Christianity very appealing if we were a gazing stock noted for our bizarre clothing. The Amish people are a wonderful people noted for their honesty, but we certainly don’t see people flocking to join them.
The best way to not blend in and to be different from others is to be the kindest, most caring, and most unselfish person in our circle. How grand it would be if we were noted for never being a gossip and being the one person in the crowd who always had something nice to say about others. That is a nice kind of weird.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 16, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org