We already established the obvious last week: everyone is NOT dating, but we also addressed why it still feels as though the contrary were true. Then I ended last week’s post with the question: What is our motive for following the crowd anyway?
The Biblical record reveals a God who seldom calls His people to blend in. Quite the opposite. He calls His people to stand out, oftentimes in a really big way.
He called Noah to build a larger-than-football-field-sized boat in preparation for a flood. Took him at least 20 to 40 years to build. Could you imagine God calling you to spend 20+ years in preparation alone for some unforeseen storm? That took faith, and must have been hard for people not to notice.
When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, He asked all the males in his family to cut off a sensitive part of their anatomy – just to set them apart. And when word got round about what the family-formally-known-as-Abram had done, I’m certain they were set apart indeed.
God sent an exiled family member named Moses back to His home town to put on a 3D special effects event to free God’s people. He had Joshua take down a city with a marching band. And then He called the whole nation of Israel to stand apart from all the nations around them.
In similar fashion, Jesus says to His disciples (that includes us), “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” — Matt 5:14-16
I understand the appeal of blending in and playing it safe, but when your time is up, don’t you want to have made some kind of meaningful difference? To leave this earth a better place? Would you like to lend a little light in this cold dark world?
Most of us do – even those of us who fear getting out of line – but then we get duped into believing that we have to be a rock star or an actor or someone famous to make a meaningful difference. (“Hey, if you’re going to stand out from the crowd, it might as well be on a stage with a spotlight following you.”) That’s what I thought when I was in high school and college. Do you struggle with thinking like that?
Curiously the wannabe-idol and those who wannabe-like-everyone-else have something very much in common: they long for the approval of others. Is that the goal God wants you chasing?
Do you remember how the Israelites were admonished to stand out?
1. Living their life according to God’s law (out of love and not legalism)
2. Teaching their children to do the same.
Nothing involving guitars, drums and fog machines. No paparazzi with cameras, no stage, no security. No fame required. Of course we have the aforementioned heroes of scripture, but none of them were particularly seeking out stardom. The vast majority of God’s people were stars only to those close to them, and that includes Abraham, the “Father of the Faith,” who followed God through the wilderness, herding sheep so he could provide for his family.
Could God’s plan for your legacy be as simple (and as marvelous) as that? That you would grow to trust Him enough to do what He says, and then perhaps marry someone else who trusts Him just as much, and then, if God so chooses to bless you, raise children to do the same?
Don’t date – or do anything else – because everyone else is. Stay close to your loving Lord and follow Him instead of the crowd.
You don’t have to be a rock star to change the world. You only have to be faithful. But trust me, if you are faithful, you’re going to stand out. You’ll just have to get used to that.
In this sin-dimmed world, many lives are changed for the worse in the midst of the messy process we call dating, but on your next date, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
DNA: It’s What’s For Dating
The LoveEd study guide series, Beyond Sex & Salvation, will help you gain helpful perspective on dating, sex and relationships. Check out Part 1: Three Critical Life Lessons for Relational Success NOW on iBooks, Kindle or Nook.
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