Fitting In

In a previous blog I mentioned how cyclists like to wear disguises. I was talking about the "gear" that road cyclists wear when they ride. Over the last few days I've noticed several road cyclists who didn't fit in. One had the shorts and cycling shoes that identified him as a cyclist but he wasn't wearing a helmet (not a good idea). Another also had shorts and cycling shoes, but was wearing a loose fitting ordinary t-shirt instead of a cycling jersey. Maybe it was just a matter of comfort for those riders, or maybe they just wanted to be a little bit different.

We all like to "fit in" to some degree. Even when we want to differntiate ourselves we will usually conform to some standard. I saw a piece on the news a while back about High School students dressed as "werewolves." These students were certainly very, very different from the majority of their classmates, but in their werewolf clique, they fit right in.

The real question is, "What will I conform to?" In Romans 12:2 Paul wrote: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—-his good, pleasing and perfect will." The transformation Paul is talking about is God's purpose in saving us by his grace. Paul laid it out in Romans 8:28: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

We cannot be conformed to the image of God's Son without being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We must have the mind of Christ, who said, "I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me," and that he had come, "not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." This is the mind set that will enable us to "test and approve what God's will is—-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

So it's not really a matter of whether we want to fit in or not. It's a question of who we're going to fit in with. Personally, I prefer to fit in with my Savior, rather than fitting in with the world. Yes, it's a lot more challenging, but it's also much more rewarding eternally.