If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you have probably read previous posts about how I wasn’t at all popular in High School. Coming from a large family, we didn’t have much. So my clothes were hand-me-downs. We couldn’t afford the latest trends. And I was rocking “buddies”—which was the special title given to “no name” sneakers. I remember being laughed at, mocked, and teased relentlessly by my peers.
I just didn’t fit in.
One year, probably around my junior year of High School, when the yearbook titles were given out, I wanted so much to be recognized. Being labeled “Most Likely” to do something… anything… would have made my entire year.
But nope. Didn’t happen. I felt so invisible, like an outsider. I was silently disappointed and wondered what I lacked that others who received all these “cool titles” possessed?
Looking back on it now, I know it was silly. Those insignificant yearbook labels , cliques, and social groups meant nothing. But they felt important at the time because I didn’t yet have a strong sense of self. I needed to get a firm grasp on who I was beyond someone else’s perception of me. Much of my time that year was spent feeling inferior, while craving validation, approval, and acceptance from sources outside of myself.
What a huge waste.
As I reflect back on it all, today I’m actually thankful that I never was engrafted into those social groups, because I would have gotten a false sense of value and worth from meaningless sources. That’s why I say, thank God I was rejected, because rejection pushed me right into the arms of the One who loves me unconditionally.
What I realize now that I didn’t back then is this. No one can give you value but the Lord. No group, club, achievement, or special recognition can fill a God-sized void.
This is a lesson each of us must grasp, because throughout life, there will always be cliques and social groups we don’t belong to. We will face rejection, mistreatment, and even injustice at times. But if we know where our true value comes from, we won’t be bothered by that.
We’ll be too busy seeing ourselves through God’s eyes and pursuing His perfect will for our lives. Always remember this. A true sense of value and purpose cannot be derived from external sources. Your true understanding of your identity comes from the word of God and the illumination of the Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, I thank You for all the rejection I’ve faced throughout my life, so I could learn that that being accepted and beloved by You, is what matters most. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
