What do you think of when you hear the word “counterculture?” For many, hippies spring to mind. For Christians, Jesus is the ultimate example.
In a day when pharisaical hypocrisy was the norm, Jesus was authentic and honest. When culture looked at women and children as property, Jesus welcomed women into his inner circle and encouraged children to come to him without fear. Whey political authorities threatened to end His life if he didn’t end His ministry, Jesus humbly declined (and even disappeared on one occasion) and continued to do that which His Father had called Him to do.
In order to make a difference, we must be different.
There are numerous examples of this concept playing out in Scripture. Joseph was taken from his homeland and forced into slavery in Egypt where promiscuity was a way of life. And yet, when confronted with an opportunity to sleep with the most powerful women in the known world at the time, Joseph declined. Esther tried to stay incognito for a while, but when the time came to do the right thing, Esther buckled her shaking knees and stood up for the sake of her nation. Daniel was taken captive and groomed to become one of Babylon’s leading men, but instead of choosing to go along with the program, Daniel chose a daily reminder of his heritage by politely asking permission to not violate his convictions and eat the king’s meat.
None of these role-models held up giant signs damning their captors to hell. None of them threw a “righteous anger” tempter tantrum. (Except for Jesus cleansing the temple, but seriously…He was the Son of God. You don’t mess with His house and get away with it.) In each case they were respectful, gracious and humble, but they stood their ground. They did the right thing. And the world took notice.
How is Jesus calling you to be different in your culture? Does he want you to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center? Mentor kids at the local YMCA? Take a training class for an anti-trafficking cause? Smile and speak kindly to the Starbucks barista? Take cookies to your grouchy neighbor that likes to throw trash in your yard?
Every day we are faced with a multitude of choices. We can choose to blend in with the crowd, or we can choose to be a counterculture Christian. Which will you choose today?
Photo credit: Marshall Astor – Food Fetishist / Foter.com / CC BY-SA