Bystander.

I'm sure you remember back to your high school days of the inevitable peer pressure.  Pressure to be a certain person, look a certain way, and behave in a way that is "cool."  Maybe you don't have to look back that far.  Maybe you can relate the pressure to something that happened last year or even last week.  In reality, we are always under pressure.  We want to fit in, to be accepted and loved. Expectations are placed upon us every day.  As a recent college graduate, I've felt the pressure to finally "grow up" - to get a job, start grad school, and basically to follow the social norm. While we don't like to admit it, this pressure influences our thoughts and actions.  Sometimes we follow the expectations others or society has placed on us while in other situations we defy the pressure by choosing the unexpected.

Let's focus on those times that we cave and do what is expected of us, even if it is against our morals or beliefs. It generally is easier to follow the crowd - you lose the risk of embarrassment and social rejection of going against the grain.  I see it all the time working in a high school full of girls.  Girls this age can be brutal.

The other day I was sitting outside when a small group of girls came over to talk to me.  They sat down on the bench across from me and I was truly enjoying their conversation (well attempts at it).  Two other girls shyly came over and said hi to me - clearly wanting to join the conversation.  The clear leader of the first group said something to them in Korean and jokingly used English "Go away!" I watched as one of the girls in the group visibly hesitated and then joined in "yea, go away!" It was easier to join with the leader and shun the other girls than to go against the grain and say something else. (Don't worry, I said, "no, no! you can stay! sit down if you would like!" and chatted with the shy girls too)  But as this story exemplifies, it's so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.

Taking this one step further, today is Good Friday.  It is the day that symbolizes the horrible, torturous death that Jesus Christ endured as a sacrifice for our sins.  If you haven't read it recently, I encourage you to get out your Bible (even if it's dusty - or you can even read it online) and read Luke 23. In this passage, it charts his condemnation to death by Pilate and his crucifixion.  At one point, it says that the crowd insistently demanded that he be crucified (part of verse 23).

Now, back to the expectations that are constantly placed on us.  I would love to be able to say that I would have had the strength not to follow the crowd in this situation - but I cannot say it without a shadow of a doubt.  Even Peter disowned him under the pressure - 3 times. crazy.  While I don't like to admit it, I am influenced greatly by the society that surrounds me.  I think we need to take a step back and look at our decisions and see what path they are following...whether they are following the "easy route" of always following others decisions or if our path allows us to take a step out of our comfort zones and truly live in Christ.  I know I will continually need to do this to follow what He really wants me to do.

I truly believe that God frequently calls us out of our comfort zones (and the comfort zone of following society!) for Him.  In case you forgot - I'm in South Korea.  This is way out of my comfort zone and there have been many times where I want to hop on a plane and get back to where I can live a familiar life.  But I know that He wants me here. He's made that clear.

Today I want to encourage you to be thankful for the amazing sacrifice that Jesus Christ made.  I pray that you would not forget the others in the story but picture yourself in the crowd and your friends all shouting for Him to be crucified.  What do you think you would do? What do you do in everyday life?

Where in your life have you been a bystander when you should have stepped out of the crowd?

More importantly - Where in your life are you being a bystander when you should currently step out of the crowd?