“Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

(Romans 12:2)

Paul tells the church in Rome to not conform to the world.  Rome was the center of the Roman Empire, and at that time, a very pagan and secular place.  What does it mean to “conform”?  The definition of conform that applies here is to “be similar in form or type; to agree with.”  Paul emphasized that the Christians in Rome should NOT be similar in type or form with the pagan, secular world.  Rather, they should stand out and be dissimilar from the crowd and the rest of the world.

This timely message applies to us today too.  God was speaking to us through Paul’s letter.  Today, our culture is completely void of godliness and righteousness.  Movies and shows, music, fashion, social media, etc.  It all screams self-preservation and self-glorification, which is the opposite of God’s self-sacrificing love.  Of course, there are some glimpses of goodness in this world, and we should cling to those things (Phil. 4:8).

God calls us to stand out and show others His beautiful character in this ugly world.   We have to make choices that reflect what God would want for us, even when we feel like we are going against the crowd.  We have to stand tall and stand out, even if this world doesn’t agree with our choices.  Even when we feel like we are all alone.  But we aren’t alone–He is standing there with us, to help us stand tall and stand out.  Like a beautiful flamingo standing tall.

I used the new Be a Flamingo stamp set from Sweet ‘N Sassy Stamps, as well the Bitty Minnie Alpha set and the Beach Blessings Printable.  You can see how I masked the leaves and flowers to create the tropical background.  I tried out the Jane Davenport brights watercolor set to paint the images and loved the vibrancy.

How is God calling you to stand out?  How has He helped you stand tall, even when you had to stand alone?