Are You Strange?

As the final bell echoes through the halls, you breathe a sigh of relief that another school week has just ended. Everything has gone perfectly: You received your math test back with an A grade, your favorite lunch was served in the cafeteria, and you finished all your homework for the weekend in study hall. Not a worry in the world!

Then you feel the stares as you put your schoolbooks into your locker. You turn around slowly and see three of your peers looking at you and whispering to each other. Your happy mood quickly fades.

The day has just gone from great to terrible. You know exactly what they are talking about: tomorrow is the big game. The whole school is buzzing about it. “Everyone” who is “anyone” will be there—but not you. Instead, you will be at Sabbath services.

While everyone else is dressed in team colors, cheering on the school team, you will be in your suit or dress listening to a sermon with a Bible on your lap.

You begin to question everything you believe and do. You wonder: “Am I strange? Why doesn’t anyone believe the things I do? Where do I fit in?”

Walking home alone from school, you think: “I am different from my friends. I keep the Sabbath, I keep the Holy Days, I take time off from school in the fall for the Feast, I tithe on the money I earn, and avoid unclean meats. My classmates do none of these things. I must be strange!”

There are many areas in life where teenagers in the Church do not fit in with their peers. Constantly feeling out of place can lead to feelings of loneliness. From there, a quick fix seems to be to go along with the crowd.

When situations such as the big game on Saturday occur—when it seems as though you are missing out on life—it helps to step back and examine why you live as you do. This will show where you do fit in.

What Is Normal?

First, what makes something or someone strange? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word as “not native to or naturally belonging in a place,” and “not before known, heard or seen.”

The things you believe and how you live are definitely “not before known, heard or seen”—at least by most in the world.

Those outside the Church can think our beliefs are strange. They do not understand why anyone would go to Church services on a day of the week (Saturday) when most shop, play sports, catch up on errands, or do a million other things. People in the world generally have no idea what the Sabbath is, let alone observe it. The same goes for God’s annual Holy Days, tithing, clean and unclean meats, and the many other doctrines you practice. These are all abnormal to them.

But who sets the definition of what is “normal”?

To begin to answer this question, look at Genesis 3, which is the story of the Garden of Eden. This account shows what God said after Adam and Eve disobeyed Him and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat?” (vs. 11).

In the next few verses, Adam puts the blame on Eve, who in turn blames the serpent (Satan). Neither of the first two human beings accepted responsibility for their outright disobedience of God’s simple command.

At that moment, everything changed for the worse. Mankind lost the opportunity to have a relationship with its Creator (Isa. 59:2) and curses began to fill the Earth (Gen. 3:14-19). One wrong decision resulted in terrible consequences.

This disastrous choice proved that human beings would turn their backs on their Creator. They would decide for themselves how to live, instead of believing and accepting God’s guidance. From that point forward, society has chosen to live contrary to God’s way of life, and Satan has influenced customs and cultural traditions around the world.

From the beginning, mankind has not followed God’s ways, which means what seems “normal” to most now is not what He originally intended. Entire societies in every part of the world have been built contrary to how God would have them built. The world does not conform to what He says are the right ways to live.

Look at what God tells all of mankind: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord” (Isa. 55:8). And, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). The plain truth is that, by themselves, people do not know how to live!

God Defines Strange

When mankind decides for itself what is the right way to live, these are the results: war, famine, disease, divorce, hunger, illiteracy, obesity, child abuse, abortion, slavery, drug and alcohol abuse, pollution, government corruption, violence, theft, murder…

You see many of these problems every day. Living in a world where they constantly happen has led your generation to become accustomed to such strange conditions. This wrong way of living has become normal to them!

A study of 40,745 children, adolescents and young adults conducted between the years of 1958 and 2001 revealed that young people have become less concerned about social approval and societal standards than in generations past.

The research, published in the book Generation Me, by Jean Twenge, explained that common courtesy, manners and considering others’ feelings before their own do not matter to young people as much as they once did.

Dr. Twenge, an associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University who conducted the study, told USA Today: “It goes beyond etiquette. It’s not just about manners. It’s more obliviousness that characterizes it—just not thinking about what other people think and other people’s feelings.”

This was all said about the previous generation of youth—Millennials. Instead of getting better, this current generation has degenerated to the point most do not care about anyone but themselves—and it shows!

God describes a generation in the book of Proverbs that serves as a warning for young people alive today: “There is a generation that curses their father, and does not bless their mother. There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men” (30:11-14).

In the book of Hosea, God further defines this generation: “They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children” (5:7).

Putting these two passages together, God calls the world strange—not those who obey His laws!

Dangerous Times

Browse any newspaper, turn on any television news program, or search any internet news site and it is obvious we live in a very dangerous world. Would a loving God create a world like this?

No! God never intended mankind to live in such conditions and constantly be in fear. Return to the Creation account in Genesis, and notice that God said what He created was “very good” (1:31). This does not describe what we see today!

There are so many things wrong in the world and these problems are daily worsening. In fact, the only time comparable to conditions today is the days when Noah was alive. Society was so rotten and corrupt that God sent a flood to wipe out every human being—except Noah and his family. Conditions today are just as violent and degenerate, and will only worsen!

For your generation, this is the “norm”: drugs in schools, promiscuity, teen pregnancies, gang-related violence, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, racism, homosexuality, bullying, broken families, and suicide.

To most, these are considered normal. But you should strive to be different and lead a life of happiness, joy and hope.

Peculiar People

God compares the “normal,” evil ways of this world to darkness, and calls His ways light (Prov. 4:17-18). Also, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). Just as light is the complete opposite of darkness, so are this world’s ways completely opposite from God’s way of life. It is easy to see the world is in darkness.

Those who keep God’s laws are described as a different type of generation: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9).

You have access to the light of God’s truth. Each of the words in this verse describes how special your situation is:

• “A chosen generation” means a family chosen by God that demonstrates excellence or preeminence.
• “A royal priesthood” means a ministry that is of royalty—made up of kings and queens.
• “A holy nation” means a nation sacred to God—separate and different from the rest of the world.
• “A peculiar people” means a people who are God’s own possession.

As you can see, God is describing a very special group—those who are different from everyone else. They are special because they do not conduct their lives as the rest of the world does—in darkness.

People who obey God and His commands, statutes and judgments will someday rule for eternity as kings in the Kingdom (Rev. 2:26). Ruling involves teaching others how to live His way of life—the way that the world considers strange today. But soon, when that Kingdom is established on Earth, all people will want to learn about living God’s Way.

Some teenagers may think this opportunity does not apply if they are not baptized. But it does!

Because your parents are in the Church, you are considered holy. Read carefully: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy” (I Cor. 7:14).

The word holy means “set apart.” It means you are separate from this world. It means you are offered a unique opportunity. While most teenagers cannot yet experience the incredible benefits of God’s way of life, you can.

You are chosen, set apart, peculiar—even different—because of your beliefs. But you should not be ashamed of this!

Merriam-Webster defines different as “partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality: dissimilar.” By keeping God’s commands, you are “unlike in nature, form or quality” the rest of this sick world.

Why You Are Different

It is hard to be different. If you feel lonely, you could fall into becoming angry about the “Church’s ways.” But they are not just the Church’s ways or your parent’s ways—they are God’s ways.

Because it is God’s way of life, it is undisputedly the right way. This includes real love (putting others first), joy, peace, abundance, health, cooperation, good manners, courtesy—overall high standards of living!

If you feel isolated, remember that there is an important reason you are to be different. You are to be a light to the world by your conduct, living the way God originally designed mankind to live. Since you are a living example of God’s Way—which is currently different from the world—you will have an incredible opportunity to help others. Studying your Bible now, going to Sabbath services now, going to the Feast and all other Holy Day services now, will prepare you to help others be happy, healthy and prosperous later.

Remember, you are not the only teenager in God’s Church! There are a growing number of teenagers around the world who are also being trained in this way of life. Be sure to stay in touch with others in the Church and build strong bonds. Make every effort to attend Ambassador Youth Camp each year.

Cultivate deep friendships that can help sustain you when times are tough or you feel lonely. Understand that you are part of a worldwide family that God has chosen for a special purpose. You are not alone!

Also, your parents and the ministry understand what you are experiencing. They go through similar challenges of being called “strange” in a darkening world. Confide in them.

Take time every day to read and study God’s Word to understand this magnificent soon-coming Kingdom and how its presence on Earth will solve the problems mankind faces today. Read Tomorrow’s Wonderful World – An Inside View! to make this understanding even clearer.

You have an awesome future. Make every effort to fully live God’s way of life. The truths you understand now are priceless, exciting and will continue forever.

Are you different from this world? You should strive to be! Are you strange? Not to God!