On some level, we all want to “fit in” with those around us. We don’t want to stand out and be that weird kid that everyone makes fun of. Even those who thrive on “being my own person” want relationships with others who have a like mindset. We all need relationships with other people and want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Sometimes that desire for relationship can pull us in the wrong direction and pull us into a group that influences us and even encourages behavior that is not Godly. We want to fit in and have relationships with others.
Who we build relationships with is important. We become like those we associate with. It is sometimes hard to walk away from a relationship with an individual or a group of people when we realize they are having a negative impact on our spiritual growth. Our number one relationship to focus on is our relationship with Christ. In a world with an increasing focus on “self-love” and putting our own needs first, focusing on Christ first and putting the needs of others before our own wants and desires is leaning toward being that weird kid.
Our world is full of self. Take time for you. Self-love. Self-care. Self-help. Do what’s best for you. We are becoming obsessed with taking care of ourselves first. We spend months or even years trying to “find ourselves”. We desire to wear the right clothes, eat the right foods, drink the right drinks, know the right people, and do all the right things so we feel good about ourselves and fit in with everyone.
In the last two verses of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:11 & 12, Jesus says,
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
That does not sound like fun and does not sound like the life I want to live. I want the results of a great reward in heaven, but I don’t want to endure the insults and persecution. I want to fit in and just be like everyone else. As Christians, we are called to be different and to be set apart from the world. It may not be fun. We may not fit in. But the reward is better than anything we can imagine. We don’t have to be “weird”, but we don’t have to “follow the crowd”, either. Becoming the best you that you can be and taking care of yourself means becoming more like Christ. To find ourselves we must first find Jesus, after all, we are to be imitators of Christ. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
