I am going to to make a very profound statement.  It is something I believe is the absolute truth.  And to quote Monk, "I could be wrong now, but I don't think so...".  It's a jungle out there.  Popularity is a myth.  It is a myth that destroys.  It is actually a plan of satan to bury a seed of discontent deeply into our hearts and grow a bumper crop of comparison and jealousy.

I have fallen victim to the myth of popularity all of my life, because, like 99.9% of the people of the world, I enjoy being liked.  I want to be 'in the loop'.  I want to be in the  'IN' crowd.  I not only want to be liked, I want people to like me so much that they seek to earn my favor and be friends with me.  AND yet, during the times in my life that I have been 'popular', it didn't feel like what I thought it would feel like.  I did not feel like everyone loved me, valued me as a person.  I actually felt more like, wow...how long could this possibly last before they turn on me.  Answer, not long.  Popularity is elusive.  Fleeting.  It doesn't stay in one place very long, is fickle by nature and does not care who it hurts.

I am pontificating popularity because I have three children...girls.  It is sad to see them pursue something so unattainable.  Soemthing that is not even defined, just desired.  And disappointing because it is so empty.  The most satisfying friendships of my life are now, a decidedly unpopular time in my life.  My 'dance card' is seldom full.  We are not gonna ever make the cover of Posh magazine.  And yet, I am very content.  Content that I am who God says I am.  Content that He is faithful to help me raise these girls into what He wants them to be.  Content that He hears my prayers and pleadings and that He will use my desperate, broken self to somehow bring glory and honor in His kingdom.

If I could go back to being a teenager knowing what I know now, I would NOT...NO WAY!!  Those are not the best years of your life.  The best comes later, much later.  Around 30something.  How about you, would you go back?