How “common” can creep into your life and create “common” problems

Is “common” finding its way into the foundation of your life?
We surround ourselves with a diverse group of people and the younger ones are the most interesting by far. I am proud of the younger people in my circle because of their love for Christ. However, I’ve seen symptoms of “common” finding its way into their lives.

Watching my younger friends, exposed these symptoms. For example, they often try to dress like the world around them, common. They use words and language like everyone else, common. In fact, there are very few differences between them and others their age.

I have become very passionate about what being ordinary does and can do to an individual. With that said, my wife and I are on a mission, a fight against common, average and mediocrity.

If there are areas in your life, where you find that normal, common, or average have set in, you’ve been invaded by “common”. “Common” can find it’s way into your home and eat away at the foundation, at parts of your life that have gone unchecked.

Sometimes I feel as christians, small ‘c’, we take what the Bible says as just optional advice or as if it doesn’t apply today. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

Common goes undetected and damage is done without you noticing
The problem with being normal is that it goes unnoticed. No one makes any issues out of what’s common to our culture. In fact, we make it the standard. If it’s okay with everyone else, we make it okay with us. “Common” continues to feed on the areas in our lives that we chose to overlook.

“Common” is eating away at our employment and careers.
We work like the world, complaining about our jobs. Not showing up on time. We’re okay with using as much sick leave as has been given to us. We’re okay with producing the minimum required results.

“Common” is eating away at the family structure.
Our families look like any other family. We don’t get along. We can’t do anything together. The children don’t respect nor want to be around the adults.

“Common” is eroding our communities.
We don’t interact in our communities by setting examples for future generations. We try to get out of paying our taxes. We get over on the government, by lying on forms to get financial aid for college tuition. We teach our children not to respect those in authority. We disrespect the President openly with our words.

“Common” has done a work on a lot of our marriages.
Our relationships suffer just like any other average person as we take on their habits.

Taking on the habits of normal people in my book is a sin that creeps in undetected and it’s time to put out your “common” detectors.

Removing “common” eliminates the destruction that waits down the road
Easter was last week and a majority treated Easter as casual, making their once a year appearance at church service. “Common” has a way of making God a lower priority in your life.

The Bible says don’t allow common behavior and normal habits of society to come into your lives. In essence, it says be on the lookout for “common” and remove it.

In order to eliminate “common”, here are 4 things you must be willing to do.

1. Be aware that it exist. Understand that their is a danger associated with everything that’s normal. Normal will prey on you until you’re one in the pack.
2. Identify areas infected by common. It’s not enough to know that it exist, but when you recognize areas where you’ve settled for ordinary, you must be willing to take action and change your behavior.
3. Routinely review areas in your life. Get help from others. You need someone in your life you’re accountable to and can partner with. Left alone, you will miss the things that you’ve become accustomed to in your life.
4. Never think you’ve arrived. John Gray once said, “the person who thinks they’ve arrived don’t know that they are lost.” Always be on the lookout for “common”. It’s always there and will always need to be controlled.

Ridding yourself of “common” will make you something the world has never seen before
Rather than being like someone else, we are to become something totally unique –something the world has never seen before, a new person.

As a result, here’s what you will see…
You will be more productive in your work. People will notice the work you produce.
Others will look for you to set the trends, not the other way around.
Your children will be unlike the world. They will be respectful, have integrity, and live by the example you set.
You will be okay with being unique, different, set apart and like Christ.
Even when your political candidate isn’t in office, you’ll show your support of government and the system we the citizens have put into place.
We will infect our communities with the love of Jesus –”uncommon.”

I know you’re ready to rid yourselves of what’s making you like everyone else, having the same results as everyone and living a lifestyle like everyone else. Ordinary is no longer enough for you. So today, I declare that you are going beyond common and welcoming a life that’s no-longer-common. In Jesus’ name.

QUESTION: What “common” trait is eating away at your life? I would love to hear your comments. Leave a comment.