That's One Weird Dude!

Peter describes children of God as “A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people who belong to God.” Many of us resist being called Weird, right? The word peculiar has come to mean one who is strange, unusual and my favorite ‘weird.’ When we consult the idea of weird with other synonyms we find:

- Weird means belonging exclusively to another. As Christians we certainly do! "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

- Weird means being distinctively different. Oh yea that is for sure. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

- Weird means adhering exclusively to the character of another. That is what should make us different from the world. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:5 that we should “have the heart, the mind, the attitude, the disposition of Jesus.”

- Weird refers to one whose interest is singularly focused. Indeed ours ought to be. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

I think we Christians go to great lengths to blend into the crowd and become neutral, conforming to the mold of this world in order to be anything but weird. However, Paul declares that "Jesus came to redeem us, and to purify for Himself a peculiar (weird) people, eager and zealous to do what is good." So what should be some of the characteristics be seen in me if I’m going to be one of these weird people?

Weird people place people before things. What counts in this life is what I do for others. The good Samaritan gained permanence in history because he was willing to place people before his money. The treasures I lay up in heaven are those given in service to others--not what I’ll grudgingly use to serve ourselves, and not what I’ll hold onto for my future. You know, the future is now; I need to live for today. When Jesus comes, what will I do with the money in the bank, or things I have accumulated, or those things I seem to hold so dear? C.S. Lewis said, "We have become a nation that loves things and uses people." This is not Jesus in me, but the world in me. I want to be weird, different and peculiar by loving people and using things.

Weird people deal with their prejudice. When we speak of the character of God, we usually mention His holiness, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and sovereign nature. But when Moses wanted to show the Israelites what God was like he pointed to His impartiality! "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows not partiality." Prejudice is simply pre-judging people based upon their riches, education, color, social status, disability, etc.,--rather than seeing them as one made in the image of God, one who can be saved by the blood of Christ. Prejudice cannot be justified as a mere cultural misunderstanding; it cannot be excused as the way we were taught. Prejudice is a sin! God calls me to be different than those around me by willfully rising above my prejudice. I want to be weird by my lack of prejudice.

Weird people are always forgiving. Jesus taught that our forgiveness is contingent upon our willingness to forgive others. Later, He put His own teaching into practice. Hear the words as they tumbled from his lips: "Father forgive them; they know not what they do." Revenge and retaliation is the order of the day in our society, but not in God's economy. Jesus taught that we are to forgive those who have offended us, seventy times seven. Limitless forgiveness! I want to be weird in my quickness to forgive.

Weird people cultivate meaningful relationships. God created us for relationships. Nothing is more important than my relationship with Him and others. My happiness depends upon it. Sometimes we sing Blest Be The Tie and then allow the slightest offense to sever it.

I must always remember, nothing, NO THING is more important than relationships in this life. Things are temporary, relationships are eternal. I will be therefore, weird in my cultivation of relationships! The next time someone says of me, “That’s one weird dude!” I’m going to smile and say, “I sure hope so.”