“Do not conform any longer 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.”

Romans 12:2

 

We feel pretty good when we can feel like we have our own style. We want to know that we are unique; that we stand out in a crowd. No one wants to be just like everyone else, right? But that’s exactly what so many of us end up doing.

 

God has made us all to be different and unique- it’s not just that we look different; we also have special personalities, gifts, and talents. Since God made us all different, those things about us are unique shine the brightest when we focus on our Father in heaven and walk with Him. The sad thing is that most of the world prefers to follow the trends of society rather than the Lord. When we don’t try to please God, we end up pleasing the world. For teenagers, that usually means doing whatever other people are doing in order to fit in with a group.

 

Worldly trends are often things that waste your time, potential, money,or even your life. Not all trends are bad. Still, if your whole personality is defined by Bob Marley, playing poker, Johnny Cash, or some clothing company, well, that’s a pretty shallow life to live. God made each of us to be bigger than trends or entertainment- we are supposed to be His children, able to stand for something bigger than ourselves- able to change the world. We can’t change the world hanging around stoned or bored, waiting for the next cool movie or video game to come out, like spiritually dead people. God wants us to wake up and live!

 

When our only real concern is what God thinks of us, then we won’t be intimidated by the majority or what they think of us. The conformists of this world may not understand why anyone would wait until marriage to have sex, or why anyone would sacrifice their own pleasure or comfort for the sake of someone else. They may not understand why anyone would lay down their own life to follow Christ. The best way to show them is to live the unique life that God has for us, free from the conformity of the world.