Different Is Good

I've been thinking a lot recently about the phrase "a peculiar people." The verse actually goes, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the world" (Deuteronomy 14:2). Along with that, I've been thinking about just how different the Church has become from the rest of the world. Take the Proclamation to the World for example. That document is amazing and so full of truth. But almost everything it teaches is the exact opposite of what the world believes. It discusses gender, how that cannot be changed. It discusses how marriage is between a man and a woman. It talks about children and their need to be raised in a home with two loving parents who are faithful to each other. It talks about the need for the gospel to be taught in the home. It talks about families being together forever when we keep our covenants. It talks about so many amazing truths that the world disagrees with. The world wants everyone to be focused on themselves and their hopes and dreams. It doesn't care that children aren't being born until late in life, as long as the father and mother are well established in their careers. It doesn't care that children are being aborted, that they are literally killing babies, as long as it was the mother's choice because it is her body *insert eye-roll emoji here*. It doesn't care about men being with men and women being with women, as long as they're happy together. That is definitely NOT part of God's plan. The world is becoming more and more wicked. Why would I EVER want to be a part of that world? Why would I want to be part of a group of people who are frustrating Heavenly Father's plan? Don't they understand that they're going to bring about their own destruction? Apparently not.
We were watching a movie last night and the bad guy made a statement that made me so sad. He said God had abandoned us. He said to look around at the world and see all the awful things that have happened. NOT TRUE. God has not abandoned us and He never will. We have abandoned Him. We have forgotten who put us here and what He has done for us. We have moved away from Him. And every day more and more people get further from Him. That WON'T be me. I refuse to let that happen. I love being different from the world.
1 Nephi 14:14 says, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory." How could anyone leave the church, knowing what they know and what will happen when they join the world in the great and spacious building? And great will be the fall thereof. It's just so frustrating. I hate losing friends and family members. I'm sure Heavenly Father feels the same, probably even more so. Unfortunately, like Heavenly Father, I can't take away someone's right to choose. I just have to worry about myself and how I feel and what I believe and try to help those around me draw closer to Him. It's all I can do. But with His help, it should be enough to bless those around me. I love being a peculiar person, more specifically one of His peculiar people. I never want to change that. It's not worth it.