The emptiness of it all, and who cares anyway.

My inspirations for writing these sorts of blogs come at random times. That's why I have to write it when the flash of brilliance comes, because if I don't do it right away, I won't ever do it. Today, it just so happens that this revelation came to me in the shower, and, knowing that a lot of people might need to hear this, I took it seriously enough to hop right of the shower and come down and start typing.

In a nutshell, I was thinking about how much easier life would be if everyone liked me. Not just liked me, but adored me. I tried to imagine myself in a place where EVERYONE in the whole wide world not only liked, but loved me. Sounds like either ego or insecurity, but hear me out on this one.

What if everyone liked you? Praised you, kissed the ground you walked upon, and claimed that they would do anything for you? For a few minutes, it sounds like life might be easier to handle, but then I REALLY thought about (and over-analyzed it, as I often do) and wondered what I would feel like inside. Initially I thought that I wouldn't have a problem in the world and that everything would be easy and fun. Then I thought harder, and realized it would all be empty. Think about it, if EVERYONE in the world complimented you on EVERYTHING you did, would you feel better about yourself in the long run? No, you wouldn't. Think about that last compliment you recieved, even from someone you admire. Did it make all your problems and struggles vaporize? I'm guessing no. In fact, my guess is that in a weird way, it would make you even more insecure in the long run. You would start to wonder what it is that you were doing that everyone liked, and the pressure to uphold that reputation would wear you down to the bone.

Now imagine praise coming from not just someone you admire, but from EVERYONE. The pressure would then be off the charts. You would no longer be yourself, and you would start to worry that eventually you would do something wrong, and lose all your fans. You would turn into a butt-kissing schmoozer. No one likes those people. Your identity would be completely lost, and eventually you would die a very unhappy person in the inside.

Sometimes, I think life would be easier if everyone hated me. There would be no pressure on you to be anything but yourself. You would feel much more liberated on the inside, and at the end of the day, you would at least have yourself. You wouldn't have a reputation to uphold, and the drive to conform with everyone else would completely dissipate.

That's why I beleive, that God causes people to hate Christians so much. In a way, I think it's a strategy designed for the sole purpose of finding our identity in him. At the end of the day, if you have no one else, at least you have Jesus, who loves you no matter what you do. He's your biggest and only true fan. Man's praise is empty. I think tonight, that concept finally hit home for me. I don't know how, or why, but it came to me while washing my hair.

So be free, for our identity is in the Lord. All of this will be gone one day. Life is fleeting blip on the radar screen of eternity. Don't waste your time trying to be someone that everyone is going to like because I'll let you in a little secret. IT WON"T WORK!!!

Those are my thoughts for today. Oh, and if you happen to be one of those people who don't like me, thank you. You're keeping me sane.