Just a little different

Kaytlin pointed out to us the other day that our neighbors might think we are just a little different.  I like to think we are pretty normal people, but perhaps she does have a point.

We have had fire drills and had the children crawling through the house and climbing out upstairs windows onto the roof.  I might wonder a little bit about a family if I drove by a house and saw a bunch of children on the rooftop.

To dry the onions from the garden, my husband put chicken wire over our garage windows (which had the glass broken out of them).  Then we poked the onion tops through the chicken wire.  It worked well.  However, I guess dried onion tops hanging out of the garage windows might look unusual to the neighbors.

Then there is really no explanation for this.  We just like to have fun.

 

We may appear a little strange.  Some of us even look like aliens.  However, it's not all bad.  God calls us to live as aliens and strangers in this world.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  I Peter 2:11-12

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because of conversations I've had with my eldest son.  He is attending school at a Christian college.  He struggles because he is different from many of his classmates.  He doesn't watch the same movies, play the same video games, or tell the same jokes.  It disturbs him to see shallowness in the spiritual lives of professing Christians.  It bothers him that there is little distinction between their lives and those in the world.  What has happened to holy living?

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.   I Peter 1:14-17

Knowing my son as I do, I don't think he's having this struggle because he's being judgmental or thinking he's better then others.  He's genuinely concerned that the body of Christ is not looking much like its Savior.  He has a longing for the bride of Christ to be pure.  He desires to have a relationship with people with the same conviction.

We should not be fearful of being different.  A holy life will be different.  We should, however, have a fear of our holy God who has called us out of this world.  We live in the world just as Christ did, but we are not of the world.  The world will never see Christ in us if we look like them.  

So today my prayer is that as Christians we will be more then just a little different.  May we be strangers and aliens living here and sharing Christ's glory until He takes us home.