Hanging on the wall in our house is a large framed photograph that reads: ‘In a world of copycats, be an original.’ To me, those words capture the meaning of Romans 12:2, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’
A commitment to non-conformity in order to reflect the will and character of Jesus Christ can sometimes appear to others as ‘weirdness’. And there are times when perhaps we feel that living life God’s way does make us stand out as ‘weird’—perhaps as weird as the odd-looking dog on this edition’s cover.
There are some great words of reassurance, particularly for young people, in Ingrid Barratt’s article on page 12. What I’d add is that in the long term, we’re more likely to regret going along with the crowd, fading into the background, settling for less, or even—by our passivity—allowing wrong to flourish, than standing out. In fact, we are useless to God if we don’t stand out from the crowd.
To stand out with confidence and conviction, we need to allow God to change us from the inside out. Paul describes this as being ‘transformed by the renewing of [our] mind’. That makes sense, since thinking drives action. If you want to be a stronger influence for godly values in the world, ask God to influence your thinking. Let God work in your life from the inside out. And then … be willing to be weird.
Christina Tyson
Editor
1 Corinthians 4:10 (The Message)
We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits.
1 Koriniti 4:10
Ko mātou he kūware mō tā te Karaiti, ko koutou ia he hunga whai whakaaro i roto i a te Karaiti; ko mātou he ngoikore, ko koutou ia he hunga kaha; tō koutou he korōria, tō mātou ia he hōnorekore.