Press toward the light and the light will ground you/go with the flow and the flow will drown you… (‘Escape’, Newsboys, from ‘Born Again’)
People are always caving to peer pressure for different reasons. Sometimes it’s because they want to be accepted. Other times, they want to do it, but want someone to encourage it. Other times, they just don’t want to go against their friends for fear of being shunned or gossiped about behind their back.
But then I think of something else: Why does it matter? What will the people who do things that are bad for you do for your life? Will they make you a better person? Will they help lead to your success? Or will they bring you down to their level? If you picked the last option, you’re right. Bad company corrupts good character.
There’s this demonstration some people do to prove this. They have one person stand on a chair, and the other stand on the ground. The person on the chair tries to pull up the person on the ground. They can’t. The person on the ground tries to pull down the person on the chair. It’s easy as cake. What’s the lesson here? Should be self-explanatory.
But think about this. When you have a good friend, you can raise each other up. Take turns carrying the weight of the world. But remember, when you find yourself tangled with someone who’s a bad influence, you’ll have the weight of the world thrust upon you, and when the chips are down, you’ll be left to bear it all alone. Yet another reason to stay away from the status quo.
There are so many things wrong with the world. I said it before: We live in a crumbled world. Romans 12:2 says ‘And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.’ In other words, don’t go with the flow.
We were made to stand out. The only people who ever did anything significant in this world did it because they stepped away from the norm and changed the world. They weren’t goody-two-shoes who did what they were raised to do. If rules hadn’t been broken, thoughts hadn’t been challenged, there’s no way this post would exist.
So, the lesson here is this: Don’t go with the crowd. Be the one who walks in the wrong direction. Be the one who breaks the stereotypes. Be the one who stands out, even when it’s not the popular thing to do. Say no and stand your ground. Reach out to people who are hurting and in need. Ignore it when people tell you you’re an idiot for going against them.
Think on this post. Give it some good thought before you decide what to do. And think about your friends. What kind of influence are they? What kinds of things do you do together? Good things? Or bad things? Think about it, and once you know the answers, figure out what you’re going to do about it.
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