Are you a blind follower of today’s mainstream culture?

Life in a modernized society carries with it the good as well as the bad. While we are able to experience so many things that people of the past didn’t even dare to dream of, I often wonder whether we haven’t lost more than we had gained.

Today, silence is avoided at all costs and quickly replaced with any kind of outside noise. Some people cannot function without music or the TV always running in the background because they somehow feel odd by the potential of loneliness. Yet, I have seen in my own life how embracing silence made me more aware of the presence of God and it also encouraged me to a deeper way of thinking. Not only is silence abandoned, but we tend to live our lives loudly. What I mean is that we are almost conditioned to make a stir through our online as well as our in-person presence. We no longer know the beauty of a quiet spirit and the peacefulness of a humble attitude. What carries weight before God is not what is attractive to the eyes of most people.

There used to be a time when people spent time face to face in order to build relationships with each other because texting or simply having someone as a ‘friend’ on Facebook does not create the same bond. Now, we find it almost impossible to create a worthwhile conversation with someone because we are no longer used to relating to people that way. People no longer know their own relatives or spouses because technology has taken over their entire existence. They rob themselves of the richness of emotional intimacy with the people that matter most and give their energy and years to meaningless pursuits.

It seems almost impossible to live free of the influences of Instagram or Pinterest because they shout to us constantly through the screen of our phones. Everyone seems to be connected to an invisible network that teaches them how to live their lives, think, act, dress, and speak. It’s as if people are simply expected to be a certain way and anything less than that just doesn’t measure up. We are taught to display a perfect image about ourselves and to invite everyone into every corner of our lives, in the hopes of getting attention. No matter how much this kind of lifestyle promises, it is a sad illusion. This kind of worldly mindset has also permeated the church and is rapidly destroying any kind of godly standard of living.

Though we might sometimes feel alone in our desire to be set-apart from the world, may we find fresh courage in Christ! His ways are timeless and they lead us in the truth.