You just march to the beat of a different drum. 

This is a phrase, an euphemism really, used for being different. It is used by parents to comfort their children and to help them handle the fact that kids can be mean to others who are different. It is said by teachers to describe odd students in a nice way. It is used by people to talk about themselves when they realize they are out of step or sync with those around them. The intention is to nicely state that you are different, but for those feeling that they are different, it doesn’t truly soften the blow. 

However, this should be an apt description of Christians. We should not be like those who don’t know Christ. We should be “odd” as the world sees things. We should be out of step with the culture or out of sync with the world which is opposed to God. 

We hear a different drum, a different beat than the world who doesn’t know God. We are called to walk in step to this beat. We are called to march through life following where that drum leads. This is the drum of the Word of God, played in the orchestra of God’s redemptive plan, the beat of discipleship and belief. 

But there is another beat that vies for our ears and attention. This is the beat of the world, our culture, and the ways devoid of God and His ways. This beat is played on the drum of human wisdom, played in the band of godless culture, the beat is self-autonomy and is going with the flow of society. 

These two beats are playing in our ears, resonating in our hearts and minds. They demand to be followed. They play an enticing beat. Both make promises, promises of fulfillment and of satisfaction. But only one has the power to keep and deliver on its promises. 

The struggle is real. We can choose to follow the beat of the world and blend in. We will be accepted by those around us. We won’t stand out, we won’t make waves. We will just be. And the beat of the world is truly enticing. It cries out to our natural disposition and says we can be our own master if we follow this beat. It sets our foot a-tapping and it says all the right things. But this is a siren call. All the promises of self-fulfillment and satisfaction eventually come crashing down. 

Christian, march to that different beat. It is the beat that fulfills promises and fulfills us. It beats out the dance we were designed to move to. People may call us weird, foolish, and all sorts of other names when we walk to the beat of that different drum, but we know the truth. They can’t hear the sweet beat that God plays through His Word and creation. They are deafened by the drum beat of this world. When we walk to the beat of Christ, we should look out of step and out of sync. We should be out of step with the culture and ready to accept the reaction of people marching with it because these two beats will and do clash. 

Christian, march to that different beat. Don’t falter because of fear of man. Don’t misstep because it seems so different than the world around you. Dance to the beat you were designed to dance to.