Not Following the Crowd 

Have you ever noticed how, when you are traveling down the highway, you might start out doing the speed limit but after awhile you look down at the speedometer and see that you are speeding?  You have just been keeping up with the crowd and now you are breaking the law along with everyone else.

Having done this many a time, recently I decided not to speed up with the crowd. The speed limit was 55 and knowing that my speedometer is accurate I set the cruse control.  Before you know it everybody was passing me.  Some tried to make me speed up buy riding on my bumper.  I thought they were in my back seat!  Some even thought that by passing and blowing the horn or yelling at me that I would speed up.  And yet I had set my mind to keep right at the speed limit, and some of their actions made me think of slowing down even further just to get even with them!

How do you react when someone in front of you is going slower that the crowd?  Do you ever check your speedometer before passing?  What will your decision be?  For one, I have been trying to do the right thing since my little experiment, as I don’t want to be one that breaks the law just to go along with the crowd. I have taken it even further by checking up on everything that I do.  Now I’m not perfect, nor do I expect to be in this life, the only one I know of one who was and is and that is Jesus.

All of this might seem trivial to you.  But if we can’t be faithful in little things, how can we be faithful or trusted in larger matters?  “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” (Luke 16:10)  You see, following the crowd has a lot to do with whom you are trying to please.  Is it Man or God?  It will take faith not to follow the crowd, but the rewards are worth it in every area of your life. Stand out from the crowd!

Dan Laterza