Fitting In?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 NIV

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." Romans 12:2 MSG

I have always wanted to fit in, and always felt that somehow I don't. I suspect that many of us want to be one of the "in crowd" or at least know we belong somewhere. I remember hoping maybe the right clothes or maybe a boyfriend would help me fit in as a teenager. At university having a couple of drinks and going to the bar helped me pretend I fit in for a few hours at least. When we moved to a new small town, at first the anonymity was fun...then it was lonely. My marriage was falling apart at the seams and I felt isolated and alone. I was beginning to get the message that I would never fit in, no matter what I did!

Loneliness and a sense of not fitting in, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though it certainly didn't feel like it at the time. Who can you always go to when no one else is there? God, of course. I began to renew my friendship with Him, and He began renewing my mind, and then my life. It didn't matter that I didn't fit in...He had other plans and knew just where I would be a perfect fit.

Curiously, after I fixed my attention on God, as Romans 12:2 says, I had better relationships and more of them. Friends, old and new, came out of the wood work without any real effort to "fit in" on my part. Something had changed and it didn't seem to be the world. Could it be that I was changing from the inside out?

Today, I am happy to not fit in with today's culture. I am quite content to question the status quo: being so busy there is no time to think, so obsessed with money and things there is no time to enjoy life, so focused on myself that there is no consideration for others. Sometimes it is a challenge to explain why I choose to work part-time, why I make time to go to Mass and prayer group instead of carting my kids to competitive hockey, and why I'd rather go on a family vacation than own the latest designer brands. Hopefully the feeling of peace and happiness I have about these decisions speak for themselves. My prayer is that they are a reflection of God's renewing of my mind.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please continue to change me from the inside out. Protect me from the way of the world, and renew my mind with Your Word. Help me to fix my attention on You each day, and remind me that You are where I belong. Amen

Life Steps: Identify one area of your life where you feel you fit in with today's culture. Pray about this to see if it is time to make a change, and let God renew your mind.