“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 When I have read that verse, I’ve always wondered, “what does that really mean?” Because if you think about it, peculiar is kind of a peculiar way for God to want us to be! The word means to be unusual and/or odd. But being peculiar also has another meaning; belonging distinctively, exclusively to one person- being special and unique. But today we find many Christians trying to do just the exact opposite of that word. Instead of trying to be “odd,” they struggle to fit in with a world that is quickly moving away from God’s commandments and Word. Instead of wanting to stand out, many of us are trying to blend in and simply go unnoticed. Honestly, I believe it’s when we try to blend in, that we actually start losing who we are, and who our creator is. Have you ever noticed that a strawberry is weird shaped and full of seeds? It is unique. Each of us have been created for a specific purpose Jeremiah 1:5,”Before I formed you…I knew you…” and in a special way Psalm 139:14 “I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!…”. If you take that same strawberry and blend it with other types of food, the uniqueness of the strawberry becomes lost, and its flavor is mixed in with all the other flavors. And even more importantly, the seeds of the strawberry become fruitless, being consumed in the mixing instead of producing new plants. Christ used another example when talking about the loss of flavor in our lives. He compared our lives to salt. As Christians we are the source of life for those who do not know Christ. As Christians, we are the examples of Christ here on earth today. But if we allow ourselves to become blended in such a way that we are unable to share the Gospel or proclaim the good news; if we sacrifice our values to fit in and lose our saltiness, then what good are we? God calls us to be a peculiar people, a people who others can identify as His. A people that the unsaved will look at with wonder, asking themselves what makes us so different, so unique, and so special. Today, what will you do with the saltiness God has given you? What will you do with the uniqueness of your life and with the knowledge of the Gospel that you have? Will you let others know that you are peculiar, or will you give up what makes you special to blend in unnoticed?