Run Like A Unicorn

Have you noticed how much easier it is to blend in with the crowd than to stand out?

Have you noticed that peer pressure can still be just as tempting as an adult as it was when you were younger?

I’d love to say this isn’t a struggle for me, but the truth is I want to be accepted by my peers just as much now at 40 as I did as a teenager.

Maybe it’s giggling along with office gossip while quietly pushing down the thought that Christ would never say those things about another person.

Maybe it’s cutting corners at work because that’s what everyone else does—even though we’re told to do whatever we do to the best of our ability in Collosians 3:23

Or maybe it’s visiting websites you wouldn’t if Jesus were physically sitting next to you, simply because they’re so accessible. Telling yourself it’s just looking—it’s not really cheating.

These small compromises are ways we slowly fade into the patterns of the world and drift away from the image of Jesus.

In Romans 12:2 we are reminded not to conform to the ways of this world, but to be transformed by Christ.

I’m an eccentric thinker with a six-year-old, so I picture it like this: being a unicorn in a herd of horses. We aren’t called to hide from the world or remove ourselves from it. We are called to live set apart within it—looking different and holding ourselves to a heavenly standard as we go about our daily lives.

So keep your talk pure. Lift up the people around you and be an encourager. Don’t contribute to gossip

—point out the strengths of others. Speak better about your colleagues when they are gone than you would even to their face. Save your hard conversations for when you’re together and can work things out. Strive for unity and healing with your words.

Psalms 19:14 says to let the words of your mouth and meditations of your heart to be pleasing to the Lord.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with excellence.

Work hard, honestly, and joyfully—as if you were serving God Himself. That can be difficult when there’s a human manager between you and God. But wake up each day with the intention of working in a way that is set apart.

Colossians 3:23 wherever you do work heartily as for the Lord not for man.

And when you’re alone, choosing how to spend your time, remember whose you are. The world doesn’t only sneak in when we’re with other people—it also slips in when we’re by ourselves and vulnerable.

So friends, live differently. Run the race in this world of horses—but remember, you are a unicorn set apart for the Kingdom of God. Don’t hide it.