I recently went back to my ten year high school reunion. High school reunions are an interesting thing. In many cases, whatever growth you have experienced in the previous decade, can feel fleeting. As people approach you, they remember you as you were, as opposed to who you have become.
I don’t know if you relate to this, but I really never felt like I fit in while in school. I felt like an outcast, painfully aware of my shortcomings. I had lots of people I hung out with, but never really felt known by any of them (I guess I was a very typical anxty teen.) On top of that, there seemed to be an uncrackable “in-crowd” who always seemed to be having more fun than you. I would watch friends of mine break under the hunger to be liked, sacrificing their soul on the alter of acceptance. Looking back, I see I wasn’t alone at all. Everyone felt it. It seems to be a symptom of our humanity, rather than a character flaw.
A lot has changed in my life since being in high school. By the worlds standards, I have accomplished a lot. A business degree from TCU, playing in a couple Super Bowls, and married my dream girl. It’s funny though, how even as we pursue accomplishments, we find they really don’t satisfy us like we hoped they would. I heard someone say after we won Super Bowl XLVIII, “unless you win two Super Bowls, you haven’t done anything.” What he really meant was, “I thought winning one Super Bowl would make me happy, but it didn’t. So maybe if I win two, then i’ll be happy.”
I’ve tried to plug my heart into so many things, searching tirelessly for the joy God freely gives. I didn’t find lasting happiness in a social group, substances, money, fame, or even a Super Bowl win, I found it when I learned I didn’t have to do anything to earn love from a God who loved me right where I was at.
Come up for air from the rat race. The one who created you, thought you were worth dying for, despite your shortcomings. God is not disgusted by your humanity. In the middle of your mess, he likes you. The highest price ever paid, was the life of Jesus. When God looked at you, He thought you were worth that price! What does that say about your value? Maybe its much higher than you think. Today, start viewing yourself the way God does, as someone worthy of love. You’re so much more amazing than you realize.
Recent Comments