It's A Tough Squeeze!

No one likes to be squeezed into a mold they did not choose. That's why so many people are trying to stand out and be different from the rest of us. Brightly colored hair, tattoos, strange dress, unkept appearances, and the list goes on and on.  To some, it's just creativity, be yourself, chart your own course, don't conform, be unique, stand out and be noticed. Okay, I get most of that, but is it honest?  Aren't we conforming at some level to a base group whose ideas are all the same?  Most young people who color their hair an unnatural color like red, usually will hang out with other people whose hair is either red or blue. Doesn't that conform? What is so unique about you if  you conform to the whimps of a whole sub-culture?   You're not unique at that point, you have just made a choice to join a group of people you want to be like, both in appearance and in philosophy. When I first became a Christian, I notice immediately that I was dressed differently than those in the rest of the church.  So, I went down to the Salvation Army to buy a suit.  That suit, by the way, didn't fit, but it made me look like everyone else going to church in that era. I fit in, I conformed to the norm of the group. I wanted to a part of that sub-group known as Christians.  I conformed in many respects for years to try to fit the part of what people wanted me to be, or thought I should be, but all it did was squeeze me into a mold I didn't want. Is conformity bad?  Not really, today the accent is on being unique, because in being unique people will notice you, and that's the goal.  Conforming isn't bad, but it depends on what you are conforming to. Jesus said that most people will conform to a way of life that will lead to destruction, and only a few will conform to a way of life that will lead to everlasting life. Here is what he said in Matthew 7:13-14

13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Conforming to what everyone is doing is easy and it has a broad appeal, but it goes nowhere. That's what you have to evaluate.  Most of the conformity in the world will lead a dead end. The way is made easy and the appeal has no restrictions so its a no brainer why people are drawn to this kind of conformity. Easy and no restrictions. Jesus said that this kind of conformity will lead to destruction.  I stopped at a local bar/restaurant known for their burgers recently. In comes a bus load of people from a small town in Minnesota driving from bar to bar just to drink and get drunk. I felt sorry for those people whose lives have been reduced down to a bus ride going from bar to bar.  Jesus said the way that leads to eternal life is narrow, and few people are willing to conform to the idea that the gate is narrow, and restrictive. It takes more courage and perseverance to take the narrow way than it does to take the broader more easier path. One is rewarding, the other is destructive, it's a choice of whether or not you want to squeeze  yourself through the narrow gate by conforming to a Savior named Jesus.   Keeping it honest and truthful....K Here is a story of a guy whose life was turned from the broad easy life, to a narrower perspective.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s_oFeVF-pU