Only dead fish swim with the stream…
I am thinking this week about conformity. I don’t like conformity. Rollo May once said, “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity”. I agree; however, Paul says that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Jesus didn’t use those terms, He preferred to say that we had the right to become the children of God. I guess that He thought that children should bear some resemblance to their Father.
I wonder if my countenance resembles more my conformity to religious traditions, social and societal conventions, or the attitude of Christ Jesus. One is a conformity that the world needs nothing more of:
“No man causes more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors” – William Faulkner
The other reflects our greatest hope.
I wonder what my family resemblance is?
Am I laying my life down for others or striving to prove my dominance? Am I sharing my life with others in a fallen world or repulsed by reminders of my own depravity? Am I willing to be misunderstood to complete a missional life or trying to save a false face? Am I pointing to Christ or to my own competence?
I want to be conformed to the image of the last true rebel to ever walk this earth.
Tags: Christ, Christianity, Church, conformity, Jesus, religion, transparency
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