DON’T FOLLOW THE CROWD

Tuesday: 17th April, 2018

1st reading: Acts 7:51-8:1a

Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

Before many uncontrolled crowd behaviour, there is usually a rally call that apparently appears to invoke a rush of adrenaline which causes people to act as though they ‘were not themselves’. Therefore, in some way, we could all allude to the fact that in the midst of a crowd, there is a tendency for many to forget who they are and just go with the flow- the decision to do what everybody else is doing.

Even though we could see the stoning of Stephen as an act done in unison, there certainly were some among the number whose intentions were in no way aligned to killing him. Yet, in the midst of the crowd, they also covered their ears and charged. Can any real believers please stand up! Those who will choose to stand up and stand out amidst the cry of society to embrace generalisation and accept whatever the masses do as ‘the new normal’.

My dear, intentionally choosing to cover ones ears is an act of resistance which in every setting communicates the message: ‘I have no interest in whatever you have to say’. We cannot claim discipleship and cover our ears from receiving the Word of God. Neither can we say we are believers and yet show no desire or make any effort to stand out from the crowd. This suggests room for more work and that is something we ought to be ready to embrace.

Remember # stand up and stand out, don’t just follow the crowd.

#sly