Start the ovation
Peer pressure doesn't have to be negative.
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” — Hebrews 10:24–25
Peer pressure is real. One of my students put it this way: “Nobody wants to be stupid alone.” It’s rare for a single kid, acting alone, to make fun of a classmate. Cruelty usually requires a crowd — and an instigator.
Adult Christians aren’t at all above such negative influences. One person starts gossiping, and the dam breaks. One person begins boasting, and suddenly everyone joins in. Sin is contagious, and it usually starts with one person, patient zero.
But peer pressure doesn’t have to be negative — you can make it positive. And it doesn’t have to be something you feel — you can apply it.
All it takes is one person with the courage to say yes to what’s right, no to what’s wrong, and be true to their conscience regardless of the cost.
Riots don’t erupt all at once. They begin with one person throwing a brick through a window. A single act from a single individuals unleashes the crowd’s worst impulses.
But the opposite is also true. A standing ovation rarely happens en masse. It starts with one person. Everyone is politely clapping, then one individual rises, and soon everyone is on their feet.
Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” That doesn’t mean passive encouragement. It means deliberate, positive pressure applied in the right direction.
A brand-new year invites a simple question: what kind of influencer are you?
How can you spur on your friends and family toward love? How can you, through your words, your restraint, your courage, or your kindness, nudge your friends, your family, your coworkers toward what is good? What standing ovation will you begin?
You never know who is waiting for permission to do the right thing.
Graceful Contemplation
“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”
—Corrie ten Boom
Thank you for reading!
December is always my favorite month! I am so thankful for my family, my students, my friends, my youth group, and most of all, my Lord.
