Non-conformist part 5
It's the middle of April and Logan and I still have our Christmas tree up. Why? Because it makes my four year old son happy. He doesn't care--at all--what you're "supposed" to do with your Christmas tree once the season is over. He likes the lights, and the ornaments (and I think he keeps hoping more presents will appear under it). It makes him happy. So instead of trying to fit in with what everybody else is doing, instead of conforming to this world, he's following his heart. And most of the people who know that our tree is still up have given us the "standard" response: "You need to take that thing down already." To which I usually just smile and nod... and ignore them. I always think it's the funniest thing in the world when someone else tells me what "I need." Or what I "don't need." As if they know better. And, listen, I'm not saying people with experience can't help people. I think that's why we GET experience. I think we go through things so that we can help people through the same types of things. But when somebody tells me what I "need to do" it's a big turnoff. And I think that's where ministry has really gotten off-track. We don't need to tell people what to do. If you give people more rules all you really do is make more rule-breakers. What we ought to do--not that I'm telling you to do this... lol--is instead of telling people what to do we ought to tell people who they are. Instead of trying to get people to conform we ought to tell them that God already conformed them to the image of His Son. That's one of the reasons Jesus came to earth in the first place: To show us who we are by showing us who God the Father is! Because as He is, so are we in this world. We have been conformed to the image of God's Son. And that's why Roman 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Paul is saying, "You've already been transformed (or conformed). Don't try to be someone you're not. Just be who you are!" But the only way we can BE who we are is if we KNOW who we are. Through the renewing of our mind. And guess what, the mind and the heart are the same thing. As you think in your heart, so are you. The mind of Christ is the heart of God beating with love in our chests. So instead of trying to fit in and make everyone else happy, maybe we should stand out and enjoy this gift of eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life that we've been given! And guess what else: When you stop trying to make other people happy by conforming to their idea of who and what you're supposed to be... that's when you can ACTUALLY make people happy by loving them with the love you are loved with. Instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, you can share what you've got--who you are--and have something that's real. A real relationship that is built on the only thing a real relationship can be built on--love!