Popularity! How important is it for teenage girls to be popular? To what extent are you willing to go to become part of the “in-group”? Are you willing to compromise your values just to say you are friends with a certain crowd? Why is this worth discussing you may think, but of course everyone wants to be accepted. I want to challenge you to evaluate what your personal definition of popularity is. Let’s look at the life of Jesus…Jesus was certainly sought after , but not necessarily with the “popular groups” of that day. Jesus did not follow the crowd, Jesus stayed close to God and did only what God told him to do, and this is what made him so attractive to others. I want to challenge you not to “follow the crowd” for the sake of trying to become accepted by others. You must learn to be the best “YOU” that you can be, and often times this means going against the crowd. What is God telling you to do? Perhaps God is nudging you to be a friend to the new girl on the block, or volunteer your time after school at a study group. It is God’s acceptance of you that will have a lasting impact on your life. The popular groups will come and go, but God’s plans for your life will stretch into eternity. Spend some time praying and asking God just how you can use the gifts and talents he has given you to become “popular” in his eyes.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts/comments regarding popularity. Please share how this article relates to your life, feel free to ask questions and let’s dialogue (or, “talk”) together around God’s principles.

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