Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

When Paul wrote this, I wonder how similar his generation was to ours.  There is so much junk that goes on in today's world, that sometimes it seems kind of hard for people to step up and live the life that God intended for us to live.  It is so much easier to be just like everyone else, rather than be an "odd-ball," and to live a life that seems like you are a "goody-two-shoes," or a "rule-follower."  Some people walk away from God, and deny themselves the gift of His love and grace in their lives, simply because they don't want to live this life full of rules and regulations.  The thing about it is, though, is that these rules and regulations are not what gives you a fulfilling relationship with Christ, or what eventually gets you into heaven.  These rules and regulations are simply the stepping stones that lead you to Christ, and a fulfilling relationship with Him.  The complete submission of your life, your soul, your mind, your will, the good things, and even the bad to Christ are what makes this relationship possible.  He's always knocking on our doors, we just have to answer.  Now back to this blending in thing.  I've already stated that it's so easy to blend in.  But I submit, that the easy way is usually not the right way to go.  It seems to me that everything that I've achieved in my life has been something that I've had to work for, and it didn't always come too easily.  Sometimes... It's hard to be a Christian.  There are so many situations in my own life, that snapping back with a clever retort, or raising my voice would have been such an easy thing to do in a time that it would have been seemingly appropriate, but I chose to take the "hard" path, and just let it go.  When you become able to just "let it go," life becomes so much easier.  It is not right for people to do bad or mean things to you, but likewise, it doesn't solve anything by retaliating the same way that they upset you in the first place.  The whole "stand out" thing is so much more than this though.  I'm not saying to complement everybody every five minutes every moment that you can, but nice little "uplifting" statements of encouragement are usually always welcome.  And it's not always comments, it is your smile, your tone, and your attitude.  These things can make or break a person's feelings.  We are supposed to shine like the stars in the universe.  Do you ever look at the night sky on a beautiful clear evening?  The stars are so radiant, and stand out so beautifuly.  They don't blend in with the rest of the darkness, but are clearly much more prominent in the sky.  This is supposed to be us.  We can't blend in with the rest of the "darkness" of the world, we must stand out, as Paul said, like the stars in the universe.  The way that we "shine," should make people question and ponder about why we live the way that we do.  In this way we don't have to force our beliefs onto people, they automatically see this difference in our lives.  As shining so radiantly comes so naturally to the stars, it should come naturally to us.  So go shine!  Get out there and shine so brightly that the darkness can hardly be seen when you're around!