Stranger Thingsគំរូ

Getting Noticed

I don’t know if you’ve ever been hunting before (it’s okay, most people haven’t these days), but it’s awesome! And one of the parts I find so cool about the hunting process is the art of camouflage. That may sound weird, you may think you just put on weird green patterned clothing and traipse around the woods, but it’s so amazing to see it in action. There is nothing like standing mere yards away from a wild animal who is staring straight at you, you remain frozen in place with nothing but air between you and this majestic creature, and he cannot see you. He just keeps looking around, eating his food, taking a rest…whatever he was going to do in his typical animal day doesn’t change because he looks straight at you and only sees more trees. It’s a rush!

Now that my random hunting tale is out of the way, what does this have to do with the book of 1 Peter? Well, he reminds us at the end of chapter 4 that when we are truly following Jesus in this world, we will absolutely stand out! It would be like being in the same situation in the woods wearing a pink, glittery, spandex suit with sparklers firing off of your head…that animal will no longer just see trees because you stand out like crazy. In the same way, someone who loves Jesus, serves others, patiently endures suffering, and has hope and joy pouring out of them at every turn…that person is going to stand out. Compared to the rest of the world, that is downright strange! And when you get noticed for being different, things can sometimes get ugly. 

Yet, Peter’s encouragement to these Christians who are being tortured and killed for getting noticed is essentially this: “hey, these guys are torturing Christians, and if you’re being tortured, it must mean there was enough evidence in your life to show them you are, in fact, a Christian.” He actually tells us to rejoice when we suffer for our faith, because it is a reminder that we are living like Jesus in a world that just doesn’t get it. So, time for the tough question: when is the last time someone noticed there was something different about you? If nothing comes to mind, it might be time to evaluate a few things.