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No Courage In Conformity: (Standing For Truth Even When You’re Standing Alone)

hollymarietong Encouragement, Personal Growth October 17, 2017October 17, 2017be different, bible, bravery, christian, conformed, conforming, conformity, courage, courageous, cowardice, do not be conformed, dreams, encouragement, following the crowd, goals, god, God's plan, individuality, inspirational, jesus, joshua 1:9, Lord, passions, personal growth, personal growth blogs, strong 0 Comment

There isn’t any courage in conformity.

No courage in conformity.

No courage.

In conformity….

These words have been running through my mind a lot these days. Maybe “courage” is always on my mind because of what is currently going on in our world today. So many are so afraid to stand for the “truth” and the “right” that they already know. I have a confession: Sometimes I am too.

As it’s been said a million times before, “courage is not the absence of fear, but being afraid, and doing it anyway.”

If one isn’t a little “afraid”…..then where’s the courage in anything we do? So that is what I am doing today: Having the courage to post this blog, though I’m slightly afraid of being bashed for it.

There are a lot of things I am and a lot of things I am not, but I know one thing I do want to be, and one thing I do not want to be: I want to be courageous, and I don’t want to be conformed to the world.

Sometimes my flesh really wants to be conformed to the world though. It’s much easier, you know?

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform 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.”

God created me as an original. I don’t want to die a copy. He also created you as an original ….so why would you want to die a copy?

There isn’t any bravery in fitting in with the crowd, blending in and looking like all the rest.

As much as we may like to tell ourselves it does, it doesn’t take any courage to make secular decisions, or any courage to follow the pop culture favored way. I promise you that.

It’s easy and comfortable to live and look like the rest….but how much of a difference will we really make in the world?

Those who follow the crowd usually don’t go much further than the crowd.

God created you to stand out….so why live to blend in? He has better for us than that. To say that he doesn’t is to underestimate Him.

Have courage.

Have the courage to pursue your God-given talents rather than simply choosing the major or the pathway all of your friends are.

Have the courage to dress to your heart’s content rather than settling on what is simply trendy, or what the cool people are “wearing.”

Have the courage and the integrity to pay back what you owe others. By all means, don’t make them ask for it. It’s just plain awkward. Do more than what’s expected.

Have the courage to stand up for the ignored, forgotten and the “least of these.” Have the courage to be “seen” talking to these people and have the courage to actually befriend them.

See, it doesn’t take courage to choose the same career path all your friends are choosing….unless of course it’s your God-given passion.

It doesn’t take courage to simply dress trendy or to copy another person’s style. What does take courage is dressing according to your roots and your heart’s content…..whether or not it’s in style at the moment.

It doesn’t take courage to ignore your dues or to hope your “debt” to someone just goes away. What does take courage is admitting what you owe and working until that person is paid back in full…and maybe even a little extra.

It doesn’t take courage to hang out with the “popular in crowd.” It doesn’t take courage to get plastered drunk along with the 40 other people at the party you’re at, when they’re doing the same exact thing. What does take courage is being the odd one out and saying, “I’ll take a water. Who needs a ride home?”

It doesn’t take courage to laugh at dirty jokes, or to join a group of non-believers in a “Christian bashing conversation.” What does take courage is sharing the gospel, inviting someone to church and bringing Jesus into your conversations.

I love sports just as much anyone, but it doesn’t take courage to cheer loudly for the winning team along with everyone else in the stadium (especially when it’s the home team), but it does take courage to cheer for Jesus, to be baptized and to show your commitment to him publicly.

It doesn’t take courage to wear a team logo. But it does take courage to boldly wear the cross. (Well, okay, maybe it takes a LITTLE bit of courage to wear the logo of a team with a bad record…..and a little bit of courage to wear, say, a Michigan shirt in Ohio). Still, you get my point. 🙂

It doesn’t take courage to use God as a spare tire: To ask others for prayer and to acknowledge God only when things are going badly. What does take courage is praising him in the storm and speaking good of him all the time.

It doesn’t take courage to want to “be” another person. What does take courage is owning “who” you are and trying to make the best of “who” you are.

Plain and simple….it doesn’t take courage to blend in. It never has and never will. Whether to stand out or to blend in is perhaps one of the hardest choices all humans must face. We want to be well-liked. We want to respected. We want to be cool. Ultimately, “conforming” seems so much easier.

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

This verse pops up for me frequently. I’ve had to really take in what it’s telling me….even when I don’t feel like it. Even when I know it’s so much easier to join the inappropriate convo and so much easier to blend in. Notice God COMMANDED us to have “courage.” Nearly every reputable bible translation I’ve found uses the word “command”….King James included. He’s not just asking or suggesting we have courage….HE IS COMMANDING we have it.

Have some individuality, friends. I’ve heard it said that if you want to make a difference in the world….you have to be different.

It’s easy to spot authenticity and courage in the world, because honestly, there’s more counterfeit and cowardice in the world than anything. When we see authenticity and courage…..we know it.

Lack of courage in choosing your desired career path or even lack of courage in joining an inappropriate conversation alone certainly isn’t going to keep you out of heaven. No.

However, those who refuse to come to the Lord often refuse to do so because of a lack of courage. Those who simply say the sinner’s prayer, yet never really explore their relationship with God, because of a lack of courage, greatly limit their present and future. Cowardice is our worst enemy on many, many fronts. It stops us from being all that we should be, and it ultimately robs us of our callings.

It’s when we have courage to step outside of our comfort zones and dare to be different when we have a real lasting impact.

Ironically enough…..lack of courage is what took me so long and posting this blog. I had a lack of courage in talking about a lack of courage.

But here is is.

What the Lord did for us on the cross was the ultimate act of courage: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

I know I’ll never be as courageous as Him, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t strive to be more like him.

Clearly, I have a long, long way to go…..but I do know what I desire to be and what I do not desire to be.

How about you? Do you stand for truth even when you stand alone?

Do you choose the conforming easy way, or the courageous way?

If you’ve been choosing the conformed way, just remember it’s a new day, and God always welcomes a new courageous decision to start again. 🙂

I Don’t Have It All…..And That’s Okay With Me

hollymarietong Encouragement, Personal Growth September 22, 2017September 22, 2017bible, biblical encouragement, careers, christian advice, christian blogs, christian counsel, dreams, encouragement, family, god, his grace is sufficient, inadequacy, jesus, love, marriage, relationships 3 Comments

Hey, I have a confession. Sometimes I really try to have it all.

Do it all. Say it all. Hear it all. See it all. Save it all. Dream it all. Figure out it all. Solve it all. Experience it at all. Accomplish it all. Be it all.

……And the worst? I often expect others to have it all.

I came to this realization of myself several years ago. It was a hard one to accept, simply because I didn’t want to accept my shortfalls or the shortfalls of other people. Though I’ve gotten better, I still struggle sometimes with my standards of self and my standards of others.

Another confession? I set such high standards for myself when creating this blog that I rarely post. In my mind, if it’s not an A+ piece to me, then no one else needs to hear it. If it’s not earth-shattering, then I have no business in posting it when the world is already loud and full of countless, self-proclaimed experts (especially when I may overlook a typo)!

But today? God is nudging me.

He knows I know I’m not an expert, but he’s also reminding me he doesn’t call “experts.” He gives gifts, and it’s our responsibility to use those gifts and to go where he sends us.

So…..I’m hoping that just maybe, this simple, transparent, genuine blog post will help someone else out today. Maybe it doesn’t have to be the deepest, the most articulate and the most revolutionary thing I’ve ever shared with you. Maybe the message is in the shortfall of this blog in itself.

Maybe a little simplicity is what this complicated world needs right now.

So here it is guys: NO ONE has it all. There isn’t a writer that produces A+ material every. single. time. They may tell you they do, but they don’t. They probably just aren’t sharing their B+ material with the world.

This is probably only half of my writing collection at most. It is full of what I consider B, C & even a few D grade songs. Sure, there are a few A+ ones in here, but I probably haven’t let you hear those yet either.

There isn’t a basketball player that makes every. single. shot. You just may not ever see them miss.

There isn’t an actor who gets everything on the first take, every. single. time. You just happen to see the completed film.

There isn’t a doctor who never gets stretched, challenged or confused by a patient at some point.

There isn’t a photographer that takes the award-winning shot every time. Sometimes even the best realize the pose or setting just wasn’t quite contest worthy.

There isn’t a family, a friendship or a marriage that never ever experiences conflict. The social media photos people post only give you a tiny look into their lives…..not the full picture. My Pastor once said something along the lines of, we often compare our lives to other people’s “highlight reels.” Man, has that stuck with me.

Highlight reels are not the full picture, all day, every day….because:

There isn’t a talent that has it all.

There isn’t a career that has it all.

There isn’t an area that has it all.

There isn’t a home that has it all.

There isn’t a “dream come true” that has it all.

And most important to remember, there isn’t a person that has it all. Does it seem like some people come close? Of course! Sometimes I play the comparison game and think, “DANG! I wish I could be more like them.” Does it seem like some families or relationships can come to having it all. YES. Some are so close to perfect, that you’ll never even be able to see the few flaws, that only God knows they have.

Does this mean we shouldn’t strive for excellence? No way! Does this mean we shouldn’t work to be the best Jesus follower, employee, parent, sibling, friend and spouse we can be? Of course not! In fact, I hope you’re working on that every day. In the meantime, I will be too.

Here’s why we can’t have it all though, guys: There is only ONE who has it all, and only ONE who will EVER have it all. HE is the only one who is even capable of having it all. His name is Jesus Christ. He knew no sin, and he knows no limits. We knew sin, and therefore we have our limits, but if we serve the one who is limitless…..the results can be limitless. We can’t be Him, and we never will be. However, when we put our lives in the hands of the one who has it all, he can do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask or imagine.

We can and most definitely should strive to be like Him, but ultimately, He’s always going to be above all.

Honestly, that feels like really good news to me today. I don’t know about you, but for me, it gets exhausting trying to have it all. It gets exhausting on the hamster wheel. It gets exhausting being a perfectionist. And exhausting trying to take on roles and do jobs that only He can do…..and it gets so exhausting trying to solve problems that only He can solve.

There is a time to do a serious inventory of oneself, and there is a time to confront others. There is a time to reevaluate where your life is going, and there is a time to make changes. But sometimes? There is a time where we just need to relax and be content with “not having it all.”

Why? Well, because when we’re content with not having it all, we open the door and invite God’s limitless power into our lives. God’s power is best magnified in the humble….in those who realize they don’t have it all. It’s best magnified in those who realize how much they need Him. It’s really difficult for an arrogant, prideful person to enjoy the abundance of the Christian life. If we think we’re equal to God, and that we have it all, how can we really live our best lives? How can we really have an authentic relationship? How can we really see the results we want to see?

When I expect others to have it all, I’m holding them to an unfair standard. I’m expecting them to be perfect like God…and they’re simply not capable of it. When I expect myself to have it all, I’m holding myself to an unrealistic standard that I’ll never ever be able to achieve. I’m simply not capable.

It’s days like today that I think of what the Lord has been laying on my heart for about 12 years now:

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” -2 Corinthians 12:9.

Friend, you don’t have to have it ALL. Please free yourself of that expectation right now. Why?

Because HE has it all, and HE is more than enough….. Therefore, today and always, you are more than enough, simply because you serve Him.

Let his power rest on you.