Don't Be A Chameleon

A chameleon is a funny creature. You put him on red and he becomes red; on green and he becomes green. He adapts and fits in; wherever he is. The story goes that a chameleon was put on a plaid blanket and he exploded. He was trying to be "everything" and his body was tugged in different directions.

Now, it’s good to be pleasant and accommodating, but I don’t want to be the kind of person who would be anything or do anything depending on the circumstances in which I find myself. Rather than having my surroundings change me, I would rather influence and change my surroundings. That’s a better and higher way to live.

The apostle Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2). Phillips' translation renders this passage, "Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within."

So, I don’t want to be like the chameleon – red on red, blue on blue, "this" or "that," depending on the group with which I associate or the situation in which I find myself. It’s all right for a chameleon, but not for a person.