I watched a portion of the movie, “Forrest Gump” again; it rekindled mixed emotions of sadness and anger because it portrayed the realistic and negative affects of being labeled “different” in society.
Forrest’s mother tried to help him deal with being different by telling him he was no different than anyone else. The truth? Forrest Gump was different. He would never blend with what’s called mainstream society today. Maybe if his mother had taught him how to handle being different, rather than telling him he was not, he would have been better prepared to face the challenges he experienced with cruel and insensitive people.
Consequently, from childhood well into adulthood, Forrest ran in fear and at Jennie’s command, “Run, Forrest, run!” He became extremely vulnerable because he didn’t know the truth—he was different by Divine design, and it was okay to be different.
Unfortunately, like Forrest, many Christians spend years either running in fear, or trying feverishly to blend in with the world because they’re afraid of being identified as ‘different’. Some are ignorant to the truth, while others are afraid of facing the truth. That truth being, Christians are meant to be different by Divine design, and it is okay.
When God “called” Abram to leave his “world” in Haran (Genesis 12:1-4) and go to a land He would show him, it was prophetic of God’s intention for separating His chosen people (the Israelites, and the spiritual church, a.k.a., Body of Christ) unto Himself, living under His governance in covenant relationship with Him.
This truth has not changed. Christians are the spiritual seed of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ; therefore, we are God’s chosen people (Galatians 3:8). The fact that we are His chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a peculiar (special) people purchased by Him through the blood of Jesus suggest that we were never meant to ‘blend in’ but to ‘stand out (I Peter 2:9).
In John 17:14-16, Jesus states emphatically, “We are not of the world.” We are in the Kingdom of God; therefore, we live according to Kingdom principles. John says it like this, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15 NKJV).
To be part of the world means living in harmony with the community of sinful humanity that possesses a spirit of rebellion against God’s laws, standards and principles. To love the world means enjoying the sensuality and self-gratification this community of sinful humanity markets so much that you invest time and money into its systems of operation, which are governed by beliefs and values that are contrary to God’s will. Therefore, anyone that’s a part of the world lives in opposition to God.
Moreover, Jesus’ prayer in John 17:14-18, specifically states His position in the world as well as ours. Jesus was different. His message was different; and His methods were different. He prayed that we be set apart. In essence, being set apart equates to being different. Of course, living in this world, and not being a part of it is difficult. However, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit of Christ, it becomes easier to separate from the world, and embrace being different.
The disciples are examples of this truth. Jesus spent a lot of time teaching and preparing them for His departure, and for the opposition they would face as His followers (John 16:33, Luke 21;12-13). After his death they ran in fear. Even after His resurrection they were still hiding behind closed doors. But, on the day of Pentecost something different happened that changed the course of events. The disciples became fearless; they stopped running and hiding. Their experience that day was the empowerment that made them different in order to make a difference. They upset the status quo, and revolutionized their world by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The same is expected of us and even greater works. We are expected to be Jesus’ witnesses so that the world may know that God the Father sent Jesus Christ the Son, and that He loves them (John 17:21-23). It’s impossible to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ if we are trying to blend in with a world that hates Him.
In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus teaches who we are and our distinguishing characteristics, which makes us different— salt of the earth and light of the world. Christians are different by Divine design with distinguishing qualities and characteristics for the purpose of influencing the world, and causing them to want to be a part of the kingdom of God.
We must accept the truth— we are different by Divine design. Our lifestyle is different because we live according to biblical principles. Our language is different because we speak boldly the Word of God. We think differently because we have the mind of Christ. Above all, our message is different from the world because we carry the same message as Jesus—good news about the kingdom of God.
If you are a Christian, there should be a difference in your attitude and your actions. The Master Artist sketched your design in eternity. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Being different by Divine design is to the praise of His glory and reflects His greatness to the world. The more my life fits the pattern of Christ’s design, I become like Him; and the more I enjoy being different. So, I dare not run away. I know the Truth, and Truth makes me free to be different. What about you?
