Daring to be different, in a world where the majority seem to be copy-pasting every single detail that crosses their sight is quite complex. I mean it’s easier to have fun, get playful with some things, tolerate some people but not get involved, go with the flow so long as you are enjoying yourself and there’s no visible harm, right? WRONG!!!
Yes you will have fun; yes you will go with the flow and enjoy yourself cautiously, but just because the results are not forth coming presently, doesn’t mean they don’t subsist. During my high school days I learnt a lesson, that to date is still relevant. A habit is not some influence that is infused in you and suddenly you get an immediate sensation, yelling the words, “I got the power”. It begins little by little, bit by bit. As you well know, the Swahili proverb that states, “Haba na haba hujaza kibaba” (Little by little fills the pot). And once you have just about enough of it, it becomes part of you, or you a part of it, and it controls you. Sooner than later, you can’t cope without it and the worst part is, it takes even much effort breaking from it.
I once fell in love… (Yeah actually I do have a heart that can be quite emotional, so don’t be fooled by my serious face). So where was I? Yes, I was saying, I once fell in love, with a certain young man. Very classy, very cozy, not too tall, not too short, just the perfect height for this little body of mine, cool, calm and collected, funny sweet…and that’s just about what I shall say about him for now. There was nothing like love at first sight from my angle; Just a “he’s just a friend” kind of vybe going on. Not for long though. With crazes like Facebook and twitter, that makes it considerably cheap and fast to communicate, lines of communication where open. There was no day that would go by without buzzing him and talking about anything that came to mind. He loved the blues. So did I. He loved romance. So did I. Was he saved? Oh yes, a bit, clearly. Interestingly this fact had swung past my mind, many times but I chose to ignore it. You know I didn’t want to look ‘over-spiritual’ or like I am judgmental. I mean, good blues and R N B wouldn’t hurt. In fact they made me in high spirits. Though little did I know, the deeper I grew in it and tolerated being serenaded by all this, the more my morals and values deteriorated. I couldn’t see it, neither did I feel it. I still went to church, lifting up ‘holy hands’ saying how good God had been …only half way into my sermon, drifting into a world of fantasy, about this guy.
Trust me; these things also happen to the best of us.
So I’m all up in this world of ‘love’ enjoying every bit of it, and being immune to the fact that, where I am at is wrong, what I am doing, is erroneous as well and the company that I am enjoying is wide off the mark. That’s what happens when you muddle up frequently with certain people; you become like them. Your beliefs may be different, but your actions end up matching.
I began to talk like him. We didn’t meet much so my walk didn’t change, though those around me noticed, unlike before, I would be strangely happy. My thoughts drifted from those things that are true, noble and praise worthy to those that were false, full of lust and shameful if posted up on a billboard for the entire world to see. Our conversations were no longer seasoned with salt… well actually they were, negatively, coz we both grew to gratify to the desires of our flesh… they were simply explicit. Funny enough, these were things that I loved. It was easy for me to come back to the throne and say I was sorry, but because I came in my own strength, nothing really changed. We were merged, simply because in my mind, he dwelt forever. If I didn’t hear from him in less than a week I’d go crazy.
I was not only building the desire to have him around, I was killing the desire to have God take His rightful place in my life. Once you merge with the world, everything of God slowly seems to grow dim and if you’re not careful, you may be like King Saul, of whom the Holy Spirit took an exit from.
Coming to terms with all that was hard for me; I was already in tune with this guy, my mind, body soul and spirit intertwined with his. And we both knew it. Somewhere along the line, I actually confronted him about this whole thing going on between us, and it was quite clear to me, he didn’t care much what he did, and how it had affected our relationships with God. The horror of realizing how far I had gone on my own and left God behind, just made me sad. I wasn’t angry as such, coz I was the one in the first place who entertained the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Though in remorse, I went back on my knees pleading for forgiveness. Of course, I wondered how I could end up being so foolish and stubborn. But after beating myself for quite a while, I realized, there was a lesson to be learnt.
‘Do not be misled; Bad Company corrupts good Character’. (1st Cor. 15:33)
It’s very easy to blend with every body around you, especially, those of whom you find to be the best in what they do, those living large with the best looks, the richest families etc. Or simply because, you see that they are doing something which is wrong, but don’t seem to be harmed in any way and you think to yourself “if he isn’t suffering, then why not?”
Sometimes it’s just pressure to be like everyone else… and when opportunity strikes you grab it like it’s the last thing on this earth you will ever own; a so called ‘famous Identity’.
Truth is, once you have much of what this world has to offer, there’s not much of a difference between you and the world. You mix with them; you become like them and Match them. Keep indulging more in what they do and trust me, YOU WILL BE MERGED TO THEM-and it will be hard to break free once you realize that all the while, it is one the worst mistakes you have ever made.
2nd Cor. 6:14 says this, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…”
Other versions put it this way,
“Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers.”- God’s word translation 1995
“Do not be associates with those who are unbelievers” -Aramaic Bible in plain English (c 2010)
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers”-New American Standard bible
Different versions, same message; Do Not Mix!
Dare to be different, for the sake of Christ. Be bold and beautiful with the fact that you love God and there things you will not indulge in or tolerate because you know and love him. Let your actions be different. Let your speech be different. Let your dressing and physical image be different. Let what people say about you, be something that will make you stand out from the crowd for the right reasons.
Be strategically solid in the faith. Know the word inside out, refresh your spirit, through acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, and you bet… Mixing and matching with the wrong people, will not be something to bother you. You will know when to say NO, and stick by it.
Mix and match…and soon you’ll have mixed and merged. Be careful. Dare to be different.
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