Some people like to blend in, and others–like myself–chase the lure of standing out. I’d like us to look at both of these today.
A friend shared a Bible verse which got me thinking about how I view and present myself.
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 KJV
So often in life we want to ‘stand out.’ One might arguably say that becoming more like Christ is the MOST different you can be. He is the only person who has never sinned. He always says the right thing. He never makes mistakes. There is no one in the world like Him. He is as different as you can get!
But that’s not the point I’m trying to make right now.
Rather, we can desire to stand out for our own talents and personality traits. We want to stand out for being uniquely ourselves. And God did make us all unique, but He made us unique to glorify Himself, not us.
This verse challenges us to become less so that God can become more. To seek His glory and not our own.
It’s a little grating, I’ll be honest.
The limelight can be addictive, and it can also be helpful. People see us in the limelight, so we have an opportunity to do good there. It’s also an occasional to seek self and forget God.
But what if you like to blend in? What if you don’t want to ‘stand out?’ Are you doing the right thing just because you are ‘decreasing?’
No. Our text is not just about decreasing. It’s about increasing God. We are meant to be His light on a hill, and lights don’t blend in. They stand out. Not for themselves, but for the sake of others. (Matthew 5:14)
Do the people in your life see God in you, or do you look like the rest of the world? We are not meant to conform to this world (Romans 12:2). Life isn’t about blending in or standing out for yourself. It’s about manifesting God. He must increase while we decrease.
Yes, we should stand out, but it’s not US that should stand out. Rather, it ought to be GOD in us.
Jesus should be what stands out.
Today, I wanted to ponder, what am I doing on a day-to-day basis to make sure I am decreasing, and what am I doing to make sure God is increasing?
Hi Dienece,
Great post! In a world full of narcissistic leaders, fuelling the ‘look at me’ addiction, it’s refreshing to be reminded of our beautiful Saviour’s example of strength in humility. Our challenge, as followers of Christ, is a morning-by-morning choice to lay things at the foot of the cross. May it be the prayer for us all – ‘less of me, and more of you, Jesus.’
Thank you for the reminder.
Carolyn.
You’re welcome. Thank you for commenting. And I love the wording ‘Less of me, and more of you’. And thank you for putting it in quote marks so I could find the song, which I hadn’t heard before.
Hi Dienece, This is a challenging question for authors, especially in a world where hustling to get attention on our work can look like the obvious pathway to success. Our motivation for wanting to stand out, or blend in, is so important. Fake humility is also a turn off and people eventually see the truth. If our success metric is authenticity and seeking His glory, we can rest in Him, trusting that we’ve done the work and He’ll open doors in His timing to further His purposes.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It’s a fine balance which can easily go both directions, stand out too much or too little. Which puts me in mind of the verse which warns those who think they stand to take heed lest they fall. It’s something we should always keep an eye on, I think.