Popular Stuff

First post....Here goes....I think about a lot of stuff, hence the blog name.  Since I was very little, REALLY little, I've wondered what made people like other people.  I've always watched and studied people and, most of the time, been amazed at the lengths people will go to be liked by certain people.  It's no surprise, but I've never been popular.  I think I may have had the opportunity once, but I "blew" it.  Here's the story:

Just moved to Massachusetts...January of my 8th grade year...1st day of school at Northborough Middle School.  One of my first classes...some of the girls start talking to me.  I think they're probably popular.  I mean, they're cute, nice clothes, VERY confident, and outgoing.  Anyway, they're really nice to me and seem to be interested in where I'm from and all that stuff.  I'm pretty excited and feeling self-confident!  I go to my next class where I meet some more people.  They're really nice to me too, but they're not popular.  I mean, they're kind of the opposite of the girls who were so friendly to me in the other class.  Kind of rough and rugged, and if they hadn't been so nice to me, I probably would've been scared of them.  ANYWAY...they ask me if I'd like to sit with them at lunch, which was right after this class, so I say "Sure!"  To be honest, the thing I had worried about most was who I'd sit with at lunch, so I was relieved!   So...we get to the cafeteria and the first people I see are the popular girls I'd met earlier.  They wave at me and call my name, so I go over to them.  They invite me to sit with them and...dilemma...what do I do?  I wanted to sit with the popular girls...which would be a first for me.  BUT, I just couldn't do it.  So, I thanked them and told them that I'd already told the other girls, I'd sit with them.  Little did I know, that my decision would seal my fate not only for the remainder of my 8th grade year, but for my high school years as well.  Those girls who were so interested in me just a couple of hours earlier were no longer interested in me as a friend, but they sure were interested in me as an enemy.  Taunting, name-calling, etc, etc..  They even targeted my little sister a couple of times...the meanest one lived fairly close to us and she'd yell things at Amy when she was out riding her bike.  Nice, huh??

Well, there you have it, my ONE chance and I blew it!  Or did I?  I often wonder what might've happened had I made a different decision.  What kind of person would I be known as, if I'd rejected the "not-so-popular" girls?  Flighty, snobbish, afraid, rude... popular?  What does it take, not only to BE popular, but to MAINTAIN that popularity?  In my very limited experience I was able to gain a little bit of insight:

1:  You can NEVER, EVER, even SLIGHTLY, snub your "friends".

2:  You have to be VERY careful in figuring out who your friends can be.

3:  You have to LOOK like your friends at all times.

4:  You have to ACT like your friends at all times.

5:  You have to be willing to be mean to non-popular people if the situation calls for it.

6:  You have to be willing to reject all non-popular people in a very clear way.

7:  Being popular will have to be more important to you than any thing else in your life.

Now, I know what you're thinking...that was high school...OR...that was Massachusetts...OR...those people probably weren't Christians.  What does that have to do with anything 40 years later?  Well, I'm still not popular...big surprise, I know.  But, the good thing is, I'm still not willing to do the things that might make me popular.  I'm not perfect, by any means, but I do know what pleases God, and one of the first things on the list of things that please Him is...to love others & to show His love to them...to value them because He values them.  I'm not so sure I can do that and be popular too.  My allegiance, in order to truly please God by loving others, has to be ONLY to GOD.  It can't even be to the "others" He wants me to love!   He wants me all to Himself, and you know, even though that may sound kind of lonely, it's really not.  You see, He will never reject me for someone more popular.  He'll never tell me that my problems aren't important enough for Him to listen to.  He'll never tell me that I'm not cute enough, skinny enough, smart enough, or talented enough to hang out with Him.  AND, the BEST thing of all!  He will never, ever tell me that I TALK TOO MUCH!!!  WAHOO!!  What a DEAL!!

Sooooo, in closing, I'm thinking that I'm grateful that I know what I know.  I'm grateful that at the age of 15, I made the right choice...that I became known as..."that weird girl from Texas"...& "that weird girl who goes to church all the time, & LIKES it"...& "that weird girl who has a relationship with Jesus"!  I'm grateful for the youth group at Rice Memorial Baptist Church, where I found acceptance, love, and courage to be a weird-o-who-loved Jesus.  Thank you Jesus, for all of the "stuff" you've taught me and for all of the "stuff" you're going to teach me! 

Well, I did it!  My first blog...man, I wrote a lot of STUFF!  :D