Are you comfortable as a traveler?

I stared out the window of the moving train, mesmerized by the unfamiliarity of everything before me. 

The writer in me longed to pull out my phone and document the foreign nature of this place. Reaching for it, I glanced around the train. No one else seemed interested in the scenery. This was home to them and part of their everyday experience. 

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I realized that photographing the landscape, while unusual to me, would only set me apart as the tourist that I was. 

I wasn’t sure I was ready to be so obvious.

As I sat there trying not to appear like a traveler, a thought crossed my mind: sometimes we work so hard to blend in that we lose who we were created to be.

Scripture reminds us that this world is not our ultimate home. Our values, priorities, and hope come from a different kingdom. In many ways, we really are strangers passing through a foreign land.

It’s easy to spend our lives trying to look like everyone else, careful not to stand out too much, cautious about living in a way that might draw attention to our faith.

But Jesus never asked His followers to blend quietly into the background.

In Matthew 5:14–16 He says:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Light naturally stands out in the darkness. It cannot help but be noticed.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

Take Time to Pause

• Are you trying to look like everyone else? Why or why not?

• Are you willing to live in a way that clearly reflects the kingdom you truly belong to?