January 2, 2025 Devo

When I was a kid, I was short and skinny. In fifth grade, I had a bike accident that cracked my front teeth. I became very insecure and self-conscious. Add to that being a child of neglect, and there’s no wonder I developed an outgoing personality. I tried to compensate for what I feared I lacked. In Junior High, I started playing basketball and got pretty good at it. I started hanging out with the other ballplayers because it gave me a sense of identity.
Interestingly enough, it was also during that same time that I got involved in my Youth Group at church. It became a clash of two worlds. At school, I would stand around with guys from the ball team. I tried to dress like them, act like them, and talk like them. Our actions and words weren’t the kindest or most wholesome. When I was at church, I felt guilty about how I was around my school friends and tried to be more of what a Christian young man was supposed to be. I became like a chameleon who changed colors to fit in wherever he was. It also explains why I went to the altar so many times during those years.
I don’t think my struggle as a young man is an unusual thing. I’m going to guess there are many who can relate to it. Like those of us who stand around with people at work, laughing at off-color jokes or crude comments because we want to be accepted by our co-workers. Or those of us who stand around the lobby at church, nodding our heads as someone gossips about another church member, maybe even adding in a few comments of our own. When our need to be liked or accepted is high, it’s easy to blend into the crowd of who we are standing around with. And that’s when we lose who we are supposed to be.
How about YOU? Are you “standing around,” or are you “standing your ground?” Standing your ground means you don’t fade into the crowd. You stay the person you are in Christ no matter who you are with. You guard your mind. You guard your words. You guard your attitude and your actions. When you “stand around,” you allow others to snuff out your light or at least dim it greatly. When you stand your ground, you keep your light shining. This year, no more chameleons. Let’s show our true colors for Jesus no matter where we are or who we’re with. No more standing around. Let’s stand our ground! That’s God’s Word for you today.