On our morning commute, we pass SEVERAL farms and pastures. Most of them have cows or horses. One day, we noticed a different animal in one of the fields with cows. We couldn’t decide exactly what it was. So for 2 weeks, every time we drove by the field, we checked. Finally, one day we spotted this lone white animal in a sea of brown cows. Then came the debate… llama or alpaca? Isaac quickly pulls out his phone and Googles, “What is the difference between an alpaca and a llama?” Google gives a list of distinguishing characteristics. Size, neck length, head shape, etc. So, the next day, we check the field, everybody (except me, I was driving) starts looking to see which it is. Well, they came to a consensus that it was definitely an alpaca. We spent weeks locating and identifying this animal, we pass him every day so naturally he deserved a name.
I named him George, the alpaca.
We’ve never met George. We’ve never even stopped the car to look at him up close. But we notice George. We notice because in fields and fields of cows and horses he stands out. The whole pasture of cows can be laying around or lazily chomping on grass and George is sprinting through the field having a grand time. He looks downright joyful. Sometimes, he’s the one taking a break and relaxing. However, we always notice George.
I want to be like George. I want to be different than those around me. I want to stand out in the crowd as joyful and carefree, because I should be. Life isn’t easy, but there is so much to be thankful for and I have a savior that has given me joy unspeakable and carries the weight of any burden I may have. We’ve also been instructed to not conform to the world or culture in which we live, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. George is a reminder every day to stick out, be who God has called us to be, to be joyful and to be carefree.
I have to choose joy. I have to choose to place my cares in the hands of Jesus. I have to choose not to worry or try to fit in to all the expectations that the world puts on me. All of that comes by renewing my mind with the Word.
Today I’m going to forget about being like Mike (gosh, I hope you’re old enough to get this reference), I want to be like George.
“…you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,” 1 Peter 1:8b
“casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you. ” 1 Peter 5:7b
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2a
