Popularity

            

             I’ve never been popular. Once in a great while I’ve had a brush with popularity—at least I thought I did—but that’s about all. Because I was so shy when I grew up, I sometimes say I wasn’t even a wallflower. I was standing out in the parking lot!

True confession: I’ve wondered what it’s like to arrive at the pinnacle of popularity.  Grand, I suppose.  It appears that way, doesn’t it? All that attention because you’re talented, clever, beautiful, or intelligent. What could be better than to have others think you’re an extraordinary person? People validating you . . .ah . . . how nice. Friends, dates, things to do, places to go because of who you are.

Have you ever thought about all the Christians that have lived before you, live now, and will live when you are gone? How in the world does God have a special place in his heart for all of those people? I’ve thought about that a lot in my life. How can he do it? A mass of individuals all special to him? Seems impossible. That impossibility thing is probably what tripped me up when I first read John 3:16. I thought that I got lucky—included in that catch-all word world. Certainly God would rather plan redemption that would have a vast inclusiveness rather than sending his son to merely die for me. My reasoning kept me from accepting any personal closeness to God because I viewed myself like one of the crowd. How can anyone in a crowd be special?

My vague, unacknowledged disappointment grew even more painful when I thought about the disciples. Even Jesus had favorites: Peter, James, and John. Sigh. They’re often called the inner circle. How fair is that? Does anyone say these things out loud? I didn’t, but I sure I thought them. I’m glad I did. Those thoughts took me on a path that led to a greater understanding of God and my relationship with him.

One thing that didn’t line up with my thoughts was Acts 10:34 (KJV):  “God is no respecter of persons.” Perhaps an ever clearer translation is from the NIV:  “God does not show favoritism.” Now we’re getting somewhere. Lots of people say that they don’t, but they do. Now, the Bible says that God doesn’t. So I still needed to get Peter, James, and John figured out. I didn’t get it until one day Pastor Charles Stanley turned on the light for me. He said God doesn’t have favorites; he has intimates. We are the ones that get to decide whether we want to have an intimate relationship with God.

Me? I get to be the one? When I looked at it through that lens, I wanted to dance. Finally someplace where popularity is worthless and intimacy is everything. Wow! That’s as exciting today as it was when that light bulb went on for me. I hope it gets you excited, too, wherever you’ve been on the popularity meter!