Running with the crowd

Are you a joiner? Do you run with the crowd? OR do you walk to the beat of a different drum? always? I have realized that I am not a joiner. I probably err a little to the extreme even. If the crowd is doing something, my initial reaction is "why?" I step back and think about just what is going on. Probably thinking with a bit too much skeptism. But this action/reaction can cause conflict within families. Should it? What if your parents were joiners? what if you are, and they are not? Should there be conflict there? We raise children to think on their own. Do we really want a bunch of clones running around. Maybe some parents do. My husband and I want to raise children who will think. So if they come to a different conclusion than we do about topics, at least they have thought through the issue. We hope. And so probably the more important question should be "why are you a joiner or not?" Step back and think about which one you are. Next step back and think about why you might join or not. Do your actions glorify God? Is He pleased with what you're doing? Are you joining because you're afraid to buck the system? or not joining because you are rebellious? do I make decisions based on research or because everyone does that?

Just some thoughts....