Most of us are followers by nature; we like to track the latest trends. See what other people are doing. Follow the latest fashions. We strive too often to be like everyone else. When you aim for that, you usually end up hitting it. You get mediocrity. If you want the extraordinary, you will have to be willing to be set apart. Do things the way nobody else does. Follow God to a place that few people may follow. At first blush, the idea of being set apart does not seem appealing to most people. We have an innate desire to relate with others. The world seems full of cliques that we want to connect with. Every walk of life has them. Groups of people are not bad in themselves. How we typically approach joining them becomes the problem. Many people desperately want to be inside these circles. They are fearful of being left out. Exclusion from the group terrifies them. We feel peer pressure from it. Fear of rejection drives people to do many foolish things. It can bring the worst out in them if they are not careful. These antics used to court affection always bemuse the insiders. The impression left is always a feeling of contempt. No one has respect for a wannabe; even the wannabe himself. Sadly, people do this to themselves. In reality, these inner rings exist strictly for exclusion and hold no meaning apart from the outsider’s envy. Penetrate one layer of the circle and you will only find yourself on the outside of yet another deeper layer. Reach the center and find no ‘inside’ exists that is worth reaching. The inner sanctum cannot contain the magic and charm it holds for the outsider. The novelty always wears off. The rainbow’s end still lies ahead of you to pursue. The wannabe’s pursuits will always prove a futility. The situation becomes different when people are prepared to face down and overcome their fear of exclusion. Greatness begins with first a willingness to be set apart. The process is referred to as sanctification in Scripture and it is how people become holy or special; one of the connotations behind the term holiness is this very idea of being set apart. Once a person could care less about joining someone’s clique, they can now focus on what God has called them to do. Define who they are as a person and stand for what they believe in. Stand for your cause and you will attract like-minded people. If you want to connect with special people, you have to be special yourself. Through this process everyone will find themselves in the only circle that really matters; a circle that defines them and what they stand for. Do this and quite by happenstance you become the center of something you could never achieve through manipulation; you become the insider of your very own clique. I have C.S. Lewis to thank for these wonderful insights. They apply to all types of relationships. Make your relationships through what you stand for and you will find them to be more meaningful. More will be said in later posts.
Related Links
Why Should I avoid Sexual Immorality?
Sexual Temptation:why fight the feeling?
Lust & Love, the Contrasts Defined
Nudity, Foreplay, Sex: Only in the Marriage Bed they make Love
Holy Matrimony: Why Something Special can be so Sexy
Love, Romance, Intimacy, Connection: Be the Real Deal to get it
Reference
C.S. Lewis, “The
Weight of Glory.”
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