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Feeling out of place

Matthew 5:14-15 

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” 

The past couple of weeks have been very hard for me. You know those sad montages that you get in those movies, that’s kind of how my life has been recently. It feels like I can’t do anything right and my every move is getting criticised or judged. Whether it’s my family or friends, I always feel singled out, like I don’t belong. I always feel...out of place. I don’t know if you feel the same way about yourself at times, but it’s not uncommon in this world to feel alone. With so many isolated people, it’s ironic that we all go through the same thing.  

From the verse, we see that isolation is almost an inherited trait from the Lord, not in the sense that we should feel lonely, but in the sense that God calls us. Isolation doesn’t mean you are by yourself, it means you are singled out. If you feel out of place, maybe it’s because you were never meant to blend in the beginning. We can’t expect to reside in darkness if we are called to be the light of the world.  

Think about the last time you saw a light bulb in a room. It was most likely small but occupied in quite a big room. The light bulb was unique because despite it’s environment of darkness, it still shined bright. That is a direct correlation as to how God views us. We are not called to fit in or be the same as everyone else in this world, because God has chosen you, and God has called you.  

I also think there’s an emphasis on “feeling” out of place: what you feel doesn’t always give us the most accurate depiction. You feel out of place because you feel different, however your difference makes the difference: whether that’s within your family, your friends, or whatever environment God calls you to be a light. A light can’t be the same as it’s environment, otherwise it wouldn’t be a light, and so I think we should all embrace being a light, so that we can shine brighter.  

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