A little wave was bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air--until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore."My God, this is terrible," the wave says. "Look what's going to happen to me!"Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, "Why do you look so sad?"The first wave says, "You don't understand! We're all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't this terrible?"The second wave says, "No, YOU don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean." -Mitch Albom
I thank God for this passage because we as Christians all remember that day or night when Jesus came into our lives. If we take our minds back to that day some may have shouted, some cried, clapped, or maybe some just raised their hands in the presence of our Savior. Whatever way we displayed our surrendering, I'm sure it is in the very front of our minds and hearts. The biggest thing we had to learn that night, or day, was that we had been transformed, born again, and now made into a peculiar people.
Titus 2:14 states 'Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Often times, our ignorance leads us to believe certain words have a negative or degrading meaning. However, we have to become knowledgeable in this journey. Peculiar as some would perceive means weird, strange different. Now, all of this holds true, but this is not in a negative manner. You see God wants us to be a peculiar people meaning "distinct from all others."
So many times we find that as Christians, when things are going well for us, we thank God, praise him, acknowledge him, and trust him as our Savior. However, in the opposition, when things are not going as we plan, money gets low, significant other won't do right, career takes a standstill, heart gets broken, friend stabs you in the back, whatever the case may be, we begin to act as those in the world instead of being of the world as God has instructed us to do. There is a advantage that we hold over non-believers; God has already promised us victory for those that believe in him. Therefore, even though we look, sound, dress, interact, and dwell with those in the world, just as the 2nd wave told the 1st, WE ARE NOT WAVES, we are just a part of the ocean. Somebody should have thanked God in this moment, because the hard times and trials that exist deter us from the knowledge we possess about God's goodness. However, God has told us that we are a peculiar people.
Understand that God loves us, and hurting us is not in the plan. Obstacles will arise, along with heartache, disappointment, and confusion. Realize that these things come to make us stronger. This is a dressing up room down here, and He is preparing us to be in his likeness for when He returns. Lastly, know that there is a secret....Read the word, God has already promised us that WE WIN! So, although this journey gets rough, understand that even though we can't see our way sometimes, the destination is already awaiting our arrival.
Be a peculiar people. Be as God wants you to be. Live your life in such a way that God smiles on everything you do. Although we resemble that of those in the world, we are apart of the ocean-of the world.
God bless!
C. Johnson
