Not An Option! (Psalms 56:11)

For the past several weeks, I have been assisting my daughter as she goes to school. A recent injury prevented her from carrying her very heavy backpack, sometimes weighing up to twenty pounds. She enlisted the aid of my wife and I to transport her to and from school and carry her backpack to her first class. Between classes, she was fortunate to have her friends assist her. Of course, this wasn’t necessary if she simply used a rolling duffel bag or a backpack with wheels, similar to the type that airline travelers use. Not an option! My daughter immediately informed me that it was definitely uncool, even if it was practical.

I smiled and understood. When I was my daughter’s age, I had a similar aversion to certain practical accessories. I, and nearly all of my classmates, would carry our books and folders under one arm. On some days, the lopsided stack was four textbooks thick. My parents would shake their heads and ask me, “Don’t you want to put your books in a bag?” Exactly mirroring my own daughter’s response, I shook my head and told them it wasn’t cool. Sigh! The sins of the father are indeed inheritable!

…In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalms 56:11 (ESV)

I lament the many times in my youth I took the more difficult path in life, only because I was more concerned about appearances and how others would view my behavior. It was not just bags or books, but extended to my choice of television shows, hobbies, even my political views. In college, I confessed and repented of my sins, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God began to change my heart and revealed to me that the only person I needed to please was Him. I still struggle with being preoccupied with how others view me rather than focusing on how God views me. I am a sinner, redeemed and rescued by God by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. God accepts me as His Child, clothed in the sanctifying light of Jesus!

Not an option!

God’s approval is all I need to be cool!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.