Blending In is Dangerous

My daughter got out of school early yesterday, so, it was midday when we got home. Noticing my grass could use a little trim, I decided to go ahead and cut it before I settled in for the day. I went inside, changed clothes, and headed right back out to get started.

Since the sun was at its peak, it was pretty toasty out there (although not nearly as bad as the day It’s too Hot to Turn Back). So, by the time I got to the last section, I was really ready to be done. With my focus on the finish line, I was going as fast as I could to finish what I had started.

Praise God for the Holy Ghost Who prompted me to look down at a certain point. And, as soon as I did, it caused me to come to a complete stop. Literally right in front of my lawnmower was a big, brown, rock-looking object. I was so grateful I didn’t run over it because it could have destroyed my mower. But after closer observation, I noticed it wasn’t a rock at all. It was actually a toad! I was even more grateful I was prompted to look down and stop, because had I not, it wouldn’t have destroyed my mower – my mower would have destroyed it! You would think it would have decided to jump at some point, but instead it just sat there, blended in, and did not budge.

Now, since it’s not possible that toad was sitting there Praying in the Spirit and commanding the lawnmower to stop, I’m left to believe it just chose not to move. Maybe it was tired. Maybe it was distressed. Maybe it was in shock. Or maybe it was just being stubborn. Whatever the case may be, what I do know is that it was just blending in. 

How many of us live our lives this way? We do everything we can to just blend in and hope no one will notice, when 1 Peter 2:9 clearly tells us, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Of course you’re different. That’s the very definition of peculiar. How could you ever blend in when we were created to stand out? We stand out when we say ‘yes’ to God, but we blend in when we say ‘yes’ to the world. We stand out when we live our lives being led by the Spirit, but we blend in when we disobey God’s instructions. It’s when we consistently choose to disobey that causes the Lord to ask us questions like, “Why do you keep on saying that I am your Lord, when you refuse to do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

When we refuse to jump when God says jump, or choose not to move when He says move, we’re just blending in with everything and everyone around us. So, take a lesson from this toad and realize blending in is dangerous.

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