Act Like You Belong
This devotional was written by Linda Vujnov
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2
Staying in a swank Hollywood hotel is not a regularly scheduled event in my life, but my intention was to not make it obvious. “Act like you belong,” I kept telling myself as I walked past turquoise padded walls on my way to the fitness center. My gym clothes were not only mismatched but they were purchased at Target. If anyone had noticed, I would have been removed. I fantasized about being famous enough to draw stares and whispers but in reality, I am a mom with four children who gets excited about finding a quarter in the clothes dryer. The hip hotel room was a generous gift from someone and not awarded as a prize for “most hip couple.”
The fitness room was inviting, offering chilled bottles of water and apples. I considered stuffing my gym bag with the miniature apples and using them in school lunches for the next week; however, I reminded myself that hotel-savvy people don’t concern themselves with free stuff.
Although Nick, the drive-through cashier at our local burger place, thinks that I look like Jennifer Aniston, no one approached me for an autograph. After a brisk jog, I ended my relationship with the fitness center and grabbed just one apple and one bottle of water.
Without making eye contact with anyone and engaging in a fake phone conversation that included words like “photo op” and “travel expenses,” I headed back to the room. If I had any hope of looking the part, I had to act the part. Once I was safely inside my hotel room, normalcy returned and my acting ended.
Why did I feel so awkward in a hip Hollywood hotel? No one there looked like I do. Intimidation and fear do wonders in my inability to be myself.
I cannot imagine God hopes that I look and act like everyone else. I cannot imagine that every time I appear to be different because of the relationship that I have with my Father in heaven and my commitment to His Word does He sigh and say, “I just wish she fit in.” I don’t imagine that in my efforts to be different than those in the world in which I live, God is saddened. He is not.
I may not look like I belong in a stylish hotel with its overstuffed attitude and obvious trendsetters, but I do resemble my Father. And, one day there is a place where we will look exactly the same as everyone else—heaven.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What do you need to stop doing just to “fit in” with the world’s standards?
2. What can you do differently to have an attitude which reflects Jesus?
FURTHER READING:
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