“When everyone around you makes it seem like you don’t belong, it’s pretty hard not to believe them.”
I came across this quote, if you will, from a journal entry I had written last year. In the entry, I was at a place in my life where I felt like everyone and everything around was against me. In a world where everything was going right, I just so happened to be going left. It was frustrating, scary, and exhausting over all. But eventually, I picked myself up, got out of my rut, and moved forward with my life. Looking back on the whole experience though and rereading that journal entry, I’ve come to realize that yes, I got out of that “woah is me” mindset, but that quote oddly enough remains the same.
You’re a bible beater. You’re a Jesus freak. You’re a do gooder. You don’t have any fun. Any of those sentences bring back memories? We live in a generation where it’s considered weird to be courteous, it’s viewed as odd to be genuine, and it’s wrong to do right. In this day in age, those who do harm fit in and those who do good stand out. People second-guess themselves when they think about helping a stranger, those around us look down at their phone so they don’t have to awkwardly smile at the person they pass, and the bystander effect takes its toll on everyone around.
So as Christians, we are instantly viewed as different. As followers of Jesus, we are the underdogs in this world. My question isn’t whether or not you are going to do the right thing; my question is how are you going to respond to the adversity you’re given. Everyone around will make you uncomfortable and when they show you that you don’t belong, how will you react? Romans 1:16 says, “for I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of god for the salvation of everyone who believes.” We weren’t born to fit in in this world, we weren’t brought to this earth to go through the motions, and we weren’t given this life to let others control our actions. We were born to stand out, to make a difference, and to do what God calls us to do.
Think about it. As Christians, we don’t belong in this world. As followers of Jesus, we are literally hated and shunned by the world and worldly people. John 15:18-19 says, “if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.” So in a convoluted way, what I was feeling just about a year ago and what I wrote in that journal entry made perfect and complete sense. The world around me doesn’t think I belong. People who love the world are against my values and me. It really is hard not to believe what they say because we have biblical proof that it is absolutely accurate. My question to you, though, is how will you respond? Romans 8:31 says, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” Yes, the world thinks what we, as Christians, stand for is wrong, but so what? God LOVES us. God ADORES us. God sent his son to DIE for us. If the almighty creator is on our side, what does it matter how the world views us?
My name is Peyton Rector. Everyone and everything around me makes me feel like I don’t belong and I finally understand why I should believe them.
Until next time<3
