Like the Cool Kids

            I tell you what, songs are the greatest things in the world for inspiration. They’ve given me several things to write about, and Echosmith’s song “Cool Kids” has given me another.

            “I wish I could be like the cool kids,

            ‘Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in.

            I wish I could be like the cool kids, like the cool kids.”

            So goes the chorus. And I was contemplating why this song resonated inside of me, the words “self-worth” came to mind.

            There is no escaping it. God created us to be drawn towards the attractive, because it hints at something deeper. God created us perfect, and the more attractive someone is, the closer that person is to outward perfection. Which is closer to how God created us originally. That’s why we are drawn towards the athletic, beautiful, humorous, brilliant, talented, and charming people among us.

             That’s why people who are any combination of those things don’t have trouble finding their group… which is mostly comprised of others like themselves. Everyone else is left on the outside.

             And if you pause there, absolutely nothing is wrong. The attractive (the cool) hang out with themselves and everyone else forms their own groups. Nothing is wrong with that… until we confuse attractiveness (coolness) with worth and value. That’s where the destruction begins.

             You see, there are other people more attractive than you or me. I look around and I see guys who are better-looking, funnier, more athletic, smarter, and more charming. It may be the same for you. The sooner we come to grips with that reality, the better. But that doesn’t mean they are worth more than you or me. It doesn’t mean they are better people.

             No, because all mankind is worth the same before God. We were made in His image (Genesis 1:27), and He loves us (John 3:16). Those two things give us our worth. The fact that we have a little of God’s mind and personality in us, and the fact that the Creator of the galaxies cares for us deeply.

             Nothing’s wrong with being one of the cool kids. Nothing’s wrong with not being one of the cool kids. I’m no more valuable than the aborted child that never was given a chance. The aborted child is no more important than the few mega-rich individuals that run the world. And the mega-rich are no more important than the cool kids that you want to be.

            Because, before the glory and holiness of our Maker, all the petty differences that give us our social status fades away. We are all sinners in need of a Savior, and we all bare the mark of His touch.

            So maybe you are a cool kid. That’s great. Maybe you aren’t. That’s great. We are all equal in worth. Our social status does not determine our eternity, which is the only thing we should care about anyways.