They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the offerings made to the LORD by fire, the food of their God, they are to be holy ( Leviticus 21:6).

Whatever our personal preferences might be, being different is not an option for those who wish to be in right relationship to God. The regulations given to the priests demonstrate that the closer we are to God, the more different we will become.

It is important to realize that being different is not the key to drawing close to God. Behaving different from those around us does not produce healthy spirituality. Healthy spirituality produces lives that are different. The priests did not become priests because they were different. They were different, because they were priests.

If you have come to know God, you may find that you are different. You try to be like other people, but you can't. It might be that you have a special call on your life. Like the priests of old, because of your close relationship to God, you find yourself having to live a life so very different from those around you. Whether or not you like being different has nothing to do with it; you just are.