Popularity: Who is defining you?

Luke 6:26 - "There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests-look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular." (The Message)

After I read that this morning something stung a little bit. Actually it more like getting hit by a truck. So many times in my life, I have gotten popularity all wrong. When I was a little kid I was somewhat of an outcast. To be honest, I do not really remember the reason kids did not like me. I actually do not even really remember being teased, I was just more of a loner. If you can relate to me it is you know it is not a fun place to be. I longed to be a part of the cool crowd. I so wanted their approval. As I got older this became more and more important and I became less and less interested in being myself. I just wanted the "cool kids" to like me. What I failed to recognize was that I was compromising who I was for who people wanted me to be. I grew up knowing who Christ was and who He called me to be. I just simply did not understand that sometimes that does not always make you popular. So instead of standing strong in my faith, I abandoned Christ and went with in crowd.

I spent many years going through heart ache because I did not follow Christ. I made a lot of bad decisions, let people define me and ultimately lost who I was in the process. While I still know I have a ways to go in completely discovering who I am, God has revealed something to me that is so precious that I have to share it with all of you. No matter what you have done, where you have been, who you let define you He was always there. There is nothing in this world that can change that. And even more so, while you were out trying to be someone else, HE knew you! No matter how many masks you tried to put on or costumes you wore you could never hide your true self from Him. Don't you just love that even if you have spent your whole lifetime trying to be someone else, He always knew you. And only through Him can you be restored back to that person.

If we were all looking at a map of my life there would be a bright red arrow pointing to a place in the road where Restoration Avenue and Christ Street meet with a sign above it that said "YOU ARE HERE". The road ahead is probably long, bumpy at times, there are bound to be curves along the way and best of all I have no idea where I am going but I don't care because Christ is the driver. You see, it was not until I decided to stop worrying about popularity and worry about what Christ thinks of me that I will truly find myself. I hope many of you will join me in letting God restore you into who He always meant you to be.

Blessings to all you,

Kara