Day 9 - What Makes God Smile? (The "Cool" Kid)

Everyone wants to be the "cool" kid. The "Cool" kid is the person that marches to the beat of their own drum, who does what they want, and is the person everyone wants to be like. The "cool" kid is the person who is too cool to do "geeky" or "uncool" stuff. When reading through Day 9 of "The Purpose Driven Life", I kept thinking of the "cool kid"mentality.

I/We get so entrenched in what other people think of us, that we try so hard to be apart of that cool crowd. Even if it means changing who we are to fit in. We'll walk the walk of the cool crowd and talk the talk, but in our hearts we know that it's not who we are.

In the book, Rick Warren talks about how Noah was the only person who was pleasing to God. Noah was the only person who had his focus on God. He trusted God so much that he built an ark in the middle of nowhere, just because God asked. At the time, the rest of the world was focused on themselves and did not worship God. I think that there are similarities to what happened back then and what happens in today's society. You don't seem part of the "cool" crowd if you worship God. Your only part of the "cool" crowd if you worship that football team, sportscar, magazine model, or the "mighty" dollar. You're not "cool" if you thank God for your skills or your blessing, but your "cool" if you thank yourself for everything YOU have done. You're not part of the cool crowd if you pray and talk to God everyday but you're "cool" if your always on the phone talking to people you really have no business talking to...

I found it ironic that the same theme of "coolness" that was happening around Noah back then seems to be happening now.

But what's interesting about the "cool people" mentality is that while your trying to be cool with everyone on earth, you're not cool with the person that matters the most.

It pleases God when we thank God for everything he has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. That's why it's so important to thank him in advance...we have no idea what he has in store for us, but because we trust him, he loves us. It pleases God when we love him, even when everyone else around us is in love with material things. It pleases God when we obey him, even when we don't understand what he is asking from us. We obey him because we love him and trust him. God will never do anything to damage our trust and love in him. He loves us unconditionally, and we must do the same. God loves us when we use our abilities to serve and praise him and not use those abilities to further our own personal agendas.

The cool kid mentality is a funny thing. When times are good, everyone wants to be the cool kid. You can't tell them anything, they're just to cool. But when times are bad, and the cool kid's in trouble (look at this past weeks market crash), everyone doesn't want to be the cool kid. Society is the same way. Society has that "cool kid" mentality and turns it's back on God. Society forgets of God's love and patience with us. Society forgets how giving God has been to us.

I think being a real "cool" person is doing what GOD wants us to do no matter what society is doing around us. Following God's vision for our lives is more important then what others want for us. I'd rather be the "Cool" kid in God's eyes then the "Uncool" kid in societies eyes. In the end, I think being Cool with God makes him smile.

-Keith (aka DeeplyRooted)