In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5

Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in? HH Maybe there was a group you wanted to be a part of...at work or school, in the neighborhood or church.  They were friendly enough, but no one said, "We want you to be one of us."  Maybe you tried to be accepted, even changed the way you talked, the clothes you wore, or the life you led, but you were still an outsider.  No matter how great your desire, you just never fit in.

Sound familiar?  Good.  I'm glad you've had that experience.  And if you haven't, I pray you will.  Now, why in the world would I say this?  Is it so you can always remember how to treat others.  Not really.  I hope you do think about that, but considering the season in which we find ourselves, there is a more important reason.  Recently I've had three experiences that reminded me how much I often don't fit in.

One day I saw a commercial by Hyundai, the car manufacturer.  The ad featured people singing holiday songs but substituting the words with "Duh".  Apparently, if you're thinking of a new car, well, duh, of course you should get a Hyundai.  The singers, wearing robes like a choir, formed a circle and in the middle was the focus of their adoration...a Hyundai vehicle.  Then the camera focused on a bearded man holding a lamb, clearly meant to be Jesus paying homage to the car.

A few days later I saw another commercial, this one by the company that operates Stone Mountain Park just outside Atlanta, Georgia.  The ad was filed with pictures of colored lights, festive scenes, candy canes, happy children, and multiple shots of a jolly Santa Claus in his bright red suit.  As the music rose to a climax, the narrator spoke the following words, "Come and see what Christmas is really about."

My third experience involved a movie due out soon called The Golden Compass.  It's about a strange world and a child of destiny come to rid it of the domination of those who determine what others can believe.  Though heavily marketed for children, the story is a combination of fantasy and social satire created to make a point.  The author of the original books has made it clear what that point is, saying he was "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief" and later, "My books are about killing God."

These experiences have bothered me a great deal.  The Hyundai commercial depicts Jesus worshipping their vehicle.  The Stone Mountain commercial subtly tells us Jesus is not the reason for the season.  New Line Cinema develops a movie based on a message intended as an attack on Christianity.  All three occur specifically and intentionally during the very season the vast majority of Christians have set aside to honor and proclaim the birth of Christ.  Do you believe these result from mere coincidence?  I do not.

But what is it about all of this that has left me feeling as though I don't fit in?  Is it that these are products of the world?  No.  I do not belong to this world.  I expect such efforts, such attacks against what I hold dear and what I am certain is the truth about my Lord.  So if not that, then what?

I don't fit in with the masses who choose to remain silent while the Son of God is being defamed.  I don't fit in with those who see direct attacks on what they profess to believe, but look the other way, pretending nothing has occurred.  I don't fit in with the men, women, organizations, and churches who hear such lies and refuse to take a stand, telling the world they don't care enough to do anything at all.  I don't fit in with the darkness that exists and grows in many who claim to be Christian.

We are called to be witnesses of Christ, which is impossible when we ignore what goes on around us, when we are silent in the midst of lies, when we refuse to share the truth.  How any one person takes a stand is between him and God.  If we follow Him, we do as He tells us.  As for me, I will continue to make my voice heard.  But however God may lead any of us, there is something we must understand.

We are a part of the light, not the darkness, and we must stand and encourage each other so that the light that dwells within us will shine brightly, especially to those in darkness who do not understand it.  There are times we don't fit in...and we are meant not to.

Take care and be God's,

Chuck

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