By Peggy Still –

This is the week of my 40th high school reunion. It has been great fun this past year participating in the planning as a member of the reunion committee. I have reacquainted myself with old friends and developed new friendships with some I didn’t know well in high school. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other, we have reunions every five years! But this one is a big one. As someone said, this is the last reunion before we turn sixty – ugh!

Wondering why we were never friends in high school, one of my new acquaintances remarked, “I always thought you were different, that you walk to the beat of a different drum.” I wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or complimented so I asked what she meant by that. “Oh, you know, you prayed over your meal in the cafeteria and no one did that! I never once saw you drink at a party. You were always nice to everyone even the nerds and the dopers. You treated everyone the same. If you came to a party on Saturday night you left early because you had to go to church the next morning.” I had no idea people saw me as different, and I was amazed (and complimented) that after forty years she still saw me in that light.

Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

Christians march to the drumbeat of Christ. He is our “different drummer.” His values set the cadence of our life as we walk with Him. He demands absolute faithfulness and obedience. No person or priority must stand in the way regardless of the situation.

Are there situations you find it difficult to march with the Drummer? To maintain our popularity we may want to tone down our convictions. Sometimes we yield to the culture and get out of step with the Savior. If we are totally committed to Christ, what behaviors must we change?

Following the Drummer requires time alone to develop our relationship so we can hear the cadence. When we fall in step with the beat we will discover the meaning of another of Thoreau’s metaphors: we find ourselves on “a road less traveled.” But it is the road that leads us to the Master Drummer.

 

 

 

Peggy Still: Peggy currently serves as the Director of Administrative and Client Services for The Fuller Foundation in Pasadena, California. Peggy is a featured speaker in a variety of areas for women including finance, social issues and leadership. She also serves as a consultant to churches and other non-profit organizations in the areas of administration and fund-raising. Married to Mark for 33 years they have one daughter and raised two foster children. Peggy and Mark make their home in southern California.

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