life's not a popularity contest

today at church, we had a chance to talk about the influence of friends and the importance of hanging out with the right crowd. it is common sense that if you hang around foolish people, stupid stuff happens to you. but one of my kids brought up a very valid point. he said he'd rather hang out with the foolish kids at lunch, than eat lunch by himself. now, this is from the middle school perspective, but if you look at it in a bigger way, then it may be easier to see where he is coming from. a lot of people make poor decisions in who they are around just because they don't want to be alone. we all strive for acceptance, its a fact whether you admit it or not. everyone is seeking approval, everyone likes to be liked. but we have to be careful about who we surround ourselves with. when we become obsessed with popular opinion or worry about our own image, we become completely self centered. this becomes a root from which many problems grow. the main flaw in this way of thinking is that it keeps us from being God centered. you see, as Christians, we don't need to be concerned about popular opinion or image at all. we have the love of the Savior and the ultimate approval from the Almighty. we don't need to live for anyone but for Him. this is an important message in the middle school and high school crowd. school is harsh and if you're not careful, life can become about popularity and soon you will start conforming to the crowd and being who they want you to be. this is the opposite of happiness. you're going to be miserable if you go down that road. its simple, if you want true happiness, live for God. if you make your life God centered, all of the other pieces will fall in place. maybe not how you planned it, but how He planned it. seek Him and all of your other concerns will be satisfied. i promise you that if you truly seek His will, that your life will be much better than you could have ever personally dreamed. one of my favorite verses to comfort me when i'm crippled by indecision, worry, or fear is "'For I know the plans i have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)