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Be StrangeHave you ever wanted to be like someone else? When I was growing up, it changed from time to time, but generally, the two people I idolized were Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, two stars in the National Basketball Association. When I was out on the court shooting around by myself, I would imagine myself playing for the Bulls or the Hawks. "Dominique..." I’d say, "He fakes, spins off his defender, shoots...it’s good!" When the All-Star game would come, I’d watch the NBA greats play for the first half, and then at half-time, I’d go out to shoot around on my driveway (even though it was usually cold and snowy). And, oh yes, how about when we got our jerseys for my recreational league team? I would do all I could to land a number "23" or a "21". And while you may smile at my stories, don’t think you can fool me. I know we all did this in some fashion when we were younger. Whether it was Superman, an athlete, our mom or dad, or someone else, we all tried to imitate our heroes. So we’ve grown up a little and our heroes might be new people. And for the Christian, the ultimate role model is Jesus. We know that He was sent to give us an "in-the-flesh" version of God, and we do our best to be like Him. That’s where the whole W.W.J.D. bracelet phenomenon came from - our desire to have something on our person to remind us of how we are supposed to live. But recently, I’ve been challenged by this idea: how often do I compare myself to others who are in the race of life rather than comparing myself to Jesus? How often do I think to myself, "Well, I know I’m not Jesus, but at least I’m not like that person." - The truth? All too often. And sadly, it makes me feel good. I may be messed up, but hey, at least I’m not as messed up as that person is. Unfortunately for me, that is not the standard. In the book of First Peter, we are told, "Be holy, for I am holy." God tells us that perfection is His standard, and while He knows we can never be fully perfect like He is, He desires for us to be so different, so dedicated to Him, so righteous (not self-righteous, but righteous) that we stand out from the world at large. So here’s the question: how different do you look from those who don’t know Jesus personally? Do I act as if Jesus really makes a difference in my life, or is it just something I do on Monday night at Bible study, on Thursday night at Large Group, and Sunday (if I go) at church. Challenging to hear? I hope so. We are called to be a strange people, a unique people. Titus 2:11-14 reads, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope -the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." The original text actually uses a word more like "peculiar" to describe what these people are to look like. Wanna’ be like Jesus? It’s going to look strange to the world. Are you ready for the challenge? He’s ready to help you out with it. - Tim Carpenter, Campus Ministry, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UNH |