Me? Cool?

Me? Cool?

A Lesson in God’s Value System

“You are my beloved Son.  With you, I am well-pleased.”  Luke 3:22

I have a niece, Paige, who can tell you right away what’s cool; the coolest clothes,  music, the coolest actors. Having never been cool myself, I’m a little out of my league in defining things that are. I remember being a stay-at-home mom of two-year-old twins.  If there was a question I was out of touch before, I was totally out of touch in this stage of life.   My definition of cool consisted of listening to my son, Sam, sing the “Veggie Tales” theme song or watching my daughter, Janny, put her doll in time out.  That was it for me.

In the midst of this stage of life, I remember rinsing Cheerios off the kids’ booster seats and thinking about what is cool.  I asked God, “What do YOU think is cool?”  After all, James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” 

Asking God what‘s cool...that’s the kind of wisdom I lack and ask God for!  So I asked Him.  He answered me quickly:  “you.”  I was dumbfounded.  I just stood at the sink and felt humbled and surprised. The God of the universe thinks that I’m cool.  I’m special.  As a matter of fact, He thinks I’m so significantly special, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for me.  He filled a fountain with His blood so He could have a relationship with me. 

There’s a lyric from a Sara Groves song, “Every heart has so much history. It’s my favorite place to start.  Sit down a while and share your narrative with me. I’m not afraid of who you are.”  This got me thinking about my relationship with God.  He’s not afraid of who I am, cool or uncool.  He’s not afraid of my rage, my sin, or my secret thoughts.  And He wants me, He wants us, to sit down and share our narrative with Him.  And He wants us to share with each other.  Galatians 6:2 states, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

How well do we know our own body?  When I was pregnant, I was acutely aware of my body and the changes it was going through.  But how well do we know Christ’s body, HIs body of believers and the value of everyone's story?  How many people in your home church can you name as you look at the back of their heads every Sunday?  If you can’t name half or more, why not? Have you shared your narrative with them?  Or have you asked them to share their narrative with you?  Why not?  Are you afraid of who they are?  Or afraid that they will be afraid of who YOU are?

I encourage you to take a leap of faith and reach out to those with whom you worship.  Jesus died for us so you know we are all special.  And I have it on good authority that we are all “cool”, too. 

Thoughts for Reflection
What can tend to be your measure of acceptability or "cool?"  Who or what do you often use as a basis for comparison?
Take a moment to reflect on God's statement we inherit through faith in Christ - "with you I am well-pleased."
All Saints Contributor - Barbara Robertson