Do you ever feel like you get lost in a sea of people who are exactly like you? You’ll experience this intensely if you go to a writer’s conference. You might think you’re something special—that you have a unique gift to give the world. But then you go to a writer’s conference and find out there are thousands of people who are almost exactly like you (seemingly).
Or try going to a creative church conference. It’s a similar situation. You think you’re the hipster bit of awesomeness on your church staff—that you’re unique. Then you show up to the creative church conference and feel like a small fish in an overstuffed pond. It’s hard to feel unique.
Or imagine a casting call for a movie. You hear about a role and realize you’re the perfect candidate. You have the look, the personality, and the acting chops. But then you show up to the audition and realize there are 400 people who are perfect for the role too.
It’s easy to feel like you’re getting lost in a sea of people who are just like you. And it can become so discouraging that you might give in to the temptation to just blend into the crowd. But you can’t afford to do that.
I think of a story like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We celebrate that these three refused to bow down to the idol. But we forget about the hundreds of fellow Jews who went along with the idol worship. They had given up and decided to blend into the crowd.
That’s what happens when you’re part of the crowd. You end up doing stupid stuff.
I realize it’s a struggle. At times it feels impossible to escape the sea of similarity we find ourselves in. But never give up the fight. Discover who God has uniquely made you to be, and don’t conform to the image of the crowd. Instead, be transformed.