Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
King James Version
One day, my friends and I went to the mall. We had a family get-together coming up the following week on Christmas eve and they all wanted to buy a new outfit and maybe one or two new accessories for the occasion.
When we got to the mall, I saw a lot of great outfits that caught my eyes. However, I had prepared any budget, so I wasn’t going to buy anything.
After all my friends got all that they wanted, they asked me to try on one new outfit that I could have bought if I had the cash for it. After trying it on, they asked me to buy it claiming it was perfect for me.
I told them I didn’t have the money for it, but one of them quickly offered to lend me the cash. This was one of the many scenarios where I was pressured to do something I hadn’t planned to do, felt uncomfortable doing, or just wouldn’t do ordinarily.
After such episodes, I usually feel a sense of regret, emptiness, and powerlessness within.
At some or every point in our lives, we experience pressure. Whether it’s from a peer, or just the pressures of life generally. There is pressure everywhere, at work, school, church, on social media etc.
Many times, it can be overwhelming. More often than not, it comes as comments, opinions, and influence. The fear of missing out, being teased, not being accepted, being afraid of what people might say or think of you is one of the root causes of pressure.
We know these lines all too well: “C’mon, it’s just one shot.” “C’mon, but it, it’s so perfect on you!” “Seriously, your mom will never find out about this.” “Why don’t you go to clubs like the other cool folks?” “Are you a virgin or something?”
So, why is fitting in such a big deal? Under normal circumstances, there’s nothing wrong with trying to fit in, but when you listen to the world’s voice instead of God’s, something is wrong.
It may start with being compelled to buy what’s fashionable right now, but it will swiftly develop to something far worse.
Being accepted by our fellow humans can be so important, but what about God’s acceptance? The more we succumb to the pressures of life, the more we lose touch with our heavenly Father.
The pressures of the world and the will of God are utterly different. The worse thing about pressure is that the people putting the pressure are not aware that of the pressure.
Peer Pressure can be really hard if you don’t know how to say no. The first step to dealing with peer pressure is to acknowledge that you are easily swayed. To this end, try your best possible to avoid situations where you can be tempted. Deep down, you know those friends or situations, flee!
In your fleeing, be rest assured that peer pressure will never end, so be ready. It will definitely spring up unexpectedly, so you always need to be careful and be prepared beforehand.
When it comes unexpectedly, be firm and decide to do the right thing irrespective of what everyone else does or what they say.
The funny thing is that those people putting the pressure may be victims of peer pressure themselves, but because there is comfort in numbers, they will want to suck you in too. Don’t let them!
Be the example and they will also learn not to succumb to peer pressure. We don’t need to fit in, God has called us to stand out. Following the pattern of the world simply means we are not following God’s pattern.
Living to please God is the key to overcoming peer pressure: For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10 King James Version).
There is a sense of accomplishment and inner peace that comes with doing the right thing and standing up for what you believe. Trust God to guide you and he shall direct your path.
