I Can't Relate to those Girls at All

I don't really spend that much time on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus (only social medias I use) so I can't say that there is anyway that I can relate to them on that level. However, I do understand that strong desire for approval from your fellow man; infact, I'm willing to say that anybody and everybody in their right mind suffers from this, it's a base human instinct programmed by our intelligent designer. When I was in Eighth Grade my self esteem was at an all time low (big surprise), because I was seeking a level approval and attention that I wasn't getting. At the time I felt like I was the tragic hero, the persecuted victim who could never get his way, but now I know that the only reason I was in that rut was due to my own selfishness and pride. Yes, pride. How can self esteem issues and pride go hand and hand? For me personally, I thought that I deserved more praise and respect than what I was getting. In other words, I had this image of myself in my mind which was elevated to a level that was way too high. As my life went on, this image was proved to be false, so that very same image went from being on a high pedestal to on the ground groveling from approval. The title of this blog post says that I can't relate to these girls at all... I lied. Well, I didn't lie, but I didn't think too much about this blog post before I started writing. The only difference between me and those girls is where and how we sought out that respect. They searched for it in their bodies and beauty, I searched for it in my sense of humor. And, hey, it worked... for both of us. I began to feel more confident in my social skills (which suck), and apparently those girls are getting plenty of affirmation from their friends. But what happens when that source runs dry? Or what happens when the pride level rises again? At that point it's just doomed to fall. I continued through that cycle until I realized my problem. I valued my standing before man more than I valued my standing before God. The approval of other people is worthless in comparison to God's love. Now, when my pride is shattered, it's a humbling experience which makes me realize exactly where I was before the Holy Spirit convicted me. So now I have everything together and never struggle with pride and self esteem... lol no. It is REALLY hard to stay in this mindset, especially when you're as handsome and funny as I am. However, it is very comforting to know that I don't need to impress any of my piers to know that I have value. For this reason I feel bad for those girls who are constantly seeking out the approval and love of their family and friends, seeking to fill a void which can only be filled by one source. This is where I think my earlier comment on the base human instinct comes in; I think God created us this way so that we can realize just how much we are in need and dependent on His love. Also I think God used that part in my life to model me into the person who I am now; instead of trying to be silly just to get laughs and approval, I do it just for the heck of it! My personality is what it is because of my past experiences, and I think that is a very vivid image of God's hand in my life and how He has taken a hard part of my life and has used it for my good and His glory.



TL;DR- Jet fuel actually can melt steel beams.