Strange Living

I recently heard about the lifestyle of a salmon and was totally amazed. I did not know that a salmon swims upstream (opposite the current) to survive. To my surprise this creature isn't one that looks at other fish and decides he wants to turn around and swim the way everyone else is swimming; besides, that's what he should do right?  He should go with the flow, go with the way everyone else is doing it and maybe, just maybe he'll be "cool" or "in style"! The truth is, if this fish made the decision to swim with the other fish, he'd die.


Too many times we find ourselves trying to fit in with everyone else to spare us from looking different.  We'll curse because everyone else is, we'll cheat on our spouse because everyone else is, we'll divorce, cheat on taxes, not say anything to the person that's our "friend" because we want to keep the peace, because that's what people do, right?
What I particularly found interesting about salmon is that they are born in fresh water,  migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce*.  We live in a strange land, but we must return to the place of originality, go back to our Creator, if we want to reproduce.  Could it be that we are not truly living life abundantly because we've stayed in the "ocean" too long?  Could it be that we've lingered in a place of commonality so long that we've conformed to it?


In the book Successful Women Think Differently by Valorie Burton, she says, "The opportunity to upward social comparison is endless in our culture. And if you engage in it and are not intentional about limiting your exposure, you will sabotage your well-being and perhaps even your confidence."


What are you willing to do to ensure that you don't get caught up in the "flow" of life?  To be honest, cutting off people, television shows, places, thoughts and languages are the hardest, but most beneficial.  Take a moment to set your standard and be bold in walking in it!


For Your Thought:  "We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope."  I Chronicles 29:15 (NIV)


*www.wikipedia.com