READ: ROMANS 12; 1 PETER 2:9-12

Have you ever felt like you had to try hard to get people to like you? School, church, homeschool co-op, work—anywhere you go there are expectations to act a certain way, say certain things, do this, and definitely don’t do that! You might feel like you have to guard yourself to make sure no one sees who you really are—because they might not like that person.

Looking for approval is something we all do, but we often look for acceptance in the wrong places. When we focus on being the cool kid or being the teacher’s favorite or wearing the right thing, we sometimes forget we belong to Jesus. He is our loving God, who laid down His life for us so we could become part of His family. We don’t need to earn acceptance, because He has already accepted us through the cross. And yet, it’s so difficult to fight the urge to fit in because, even though our world says, “Be yourself” and “You’re perfect just the way you are,” we’re still constantly being judged and even rejected by others.

But why should we try so hard to fit in when God has called us to be different? In Jesus, He’s given us a new identity as His dearly loved children. When we focus on Jesus, we often find we don’t care how other people are acting. As we experience God’s love for us, our focus shifts to showing others His love and truth, instead of worrying about what they think of us.

As teens, we especially have an opportunity to be a light to the world. Why teens especially? You’ve heard the stereotypes! Teens are lazy. They just want to have fun and be popular. They’re self-obsessed and addicted to their phones.

But, in Christ, we can be the ones to break the stereotypes. We can be the ones who work hard, genuinely care about the people around us, and don’t care if anybody thinks we’re weird. We can be the ones who are respectful, intuitive, smart, and helpful—putting others first. We don’t have to conform to the world’s expectations. Once we know Jesus, we are being transformed to be like Him. • Leah Najimy

• Can you think of a time you felt pressured to look or act a certain way? How did you deal with it?

• According to 1 Peter 2:9-12, what are some things that come with having our identity in Christ?

• How does knowing we are fully accepted and loved in Jesus affect the way we view others and what they think about us?

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)