Moving In Stereo

Life's the same moving in stereo. Life's the same except for my shoes. -- The Cars

Over the past couple of days I've written about new things...how God can transform us at any (and probably more than one) time in our lives. I've also written about seeing the opportunities God puts in front of you to help make those transformations happen and how that often requires us leaving nothing behind in our pursuit of them. That all sounds really great on paper, doesn't it? I make it sound like you should just wake up tomorrow and throw off your entire life and start all over. Much easier said than done, I know. The world has a way of dragging us back down and putting us back into the neat little niche it's carved out for us. So when God steps in and sends your life down a new path, how do you successfully follow that path without allowing the world to put you back on lock down? I think the answer is complicated but what it boils down to is breaking stereo-types.

I talked about Paul's transformation from a persecutor of Christians to the leader of the early Christian church. Over about a 5 minute read of the Bible he goes from one to the other. You have to know it wasn't that simple. Do you really think that all of the people who knew Paul were ready to just pat him on the back and say well done and good luck with the new career? Imagine that happening in today's world of 24 hour news cycles and social networking sites. No...when the world categorizes you maybe the toughest thing to do is change your image. Paul was a persecutor, not a preacher, and it would have been very hard even in the world of his time to change that. For many, it probably never did change. But for many more, it did and their lives were changed because of God's work in Paul...and that's the whole key to this.

You have to understand that it's God making a change in you. Not you, not your friends, and certainly not the world. For God to make that change, you have to give him the chance. You have to realize that, while there most certainly will be detractors and skeptics try to pull you off course, you are on God's course. God will put the people around you to support you. God will put the people in front of you that need to be impacted by what He will do through you. God is in control. The whole trick to busting the stereo-type is God!

To illustrate my point, take a look at what went down when Paul went to Athens very early on in his ministry.

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. -- Acts 17:18

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." -- Acts 17:32

The experts were there and didn't want to hear what Paul had to tell them, so they dismissed him. It would have been easy for Paul to leave and write them all off as hard-headed. But he taught them about Jesus and when he was done some of them still laughed him off but some of them wanted to learn more. The truth is, you aren't going to change everyone's mind about you when God changes you. But there will be those who will see the difference as something super-natural and be curious to learn more. So when God steps up and resets your course, embrace it with a passion. Be resolved to speak the truth no matter who ridicules you for it. You do what God has set for you to do and don't worry about the world's view of you!