Together Under Him

Together under Him

All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

Acts 2:44

My teenage daughter and I had a discussion about tattoos recently. Although she didn’t necessarily want one, she approved of her friends’ choices to have them.

“Don’t they realize what they’ll look like when they’re seventy years old?” I asked her.

“They’ll look like everyone else,” she answered. “The nonconforming ones will be those who don’t have a tattoo!”

So true. Each generation of young people has its own definition of “normal.” In our society we focus on individualism, which may lead to group acceptance. The Amish focus on the group itself. The better a person casts off individualism, the better he or she fits in.

Choice is appropriate only within group-approved options and only if it maintains and strengthens the group. Understanding this difference is central in comprehending the heart of Amish identity.

The task of Amish young people is not to distinguish themselves from others by their uniqueness and achievement but rather their willingness to conform to the group. They are expected to strengthen the cohesion of the community through “giving up the self,” as they term it.

This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12:27: “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” As followers of Christ we would do well to see ourselves as part of collective society. Yet instead of focusing on the well-being of the group, it’s our job to worship Jesus, to follow Him as the head of the body. As we worship, walk, and work, He will bring everything together.

Have you ever felt God asking you to give up some of your individuality for His sake? The more claim you give Him to all of yourself, the more joy and peace you’ll experience!

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that You are the head of Your body, the church. Remind me again today that it’s not up to me to figure out my part. Instead, I simply need to look to You and follow where You lead.