Good News for T's and ND's

I had the chance to enjoy the OSU Mens hoopsters crush the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight... and I'm a bit tired... but I've want to add some thoughts to my post from the other day.

I had some fun posting on Toppers & Name-Droppers last Friday. But sometimes there is a serious issue at hand... and it comes down to your heart. If words and actions flow from the heart... then topping and name-dropping tendencies might reflect deeper heart issues. To get to the "heart" of the matter... some reflective questions can be of help, such as:

*Why do I feel the need to always share my story over-top of someone elses?
*Why can't I just enjoy someones story and affirm them?
*What motivates me to tell others that I know a famous person?
*Why do I tend to drop a well-known name into a story, when it is not necessary?
*What do I seek out of my interactions with others?
*How much affirmation do I need from others?
*What will I do to earn such a response?

This might seem a bit excessive... but let me assure that regularly checking your motives (and inviting others to help you do the same)... will uncover blind spots of self-idolatry in your life. Our hearts are prone to elevate the self and justify our value in the presence of peers. You might say to self-justify our social value... and it all boils down to the motives of the heart in the simplest things like topping or name-dropping. Maybe for you it is being fun, looking good, sounding smart, always winning, "being" spiritual... but the root is the same. Idolatry.

So on to the good news. You can stop trying. The paradox is... you win when you quit. Your value is not left up to the degree that you can improve your relative social worth. God sees behind your act... right to your imperfection and he says... I'll accept that. Jesus gave up his high position and stooped so low... that he identifies with the most broken... and his life-death-resurrection was to redeem your broken-ness so that you don't have to... if you'll quit trying and let that be your story.

So you can stop the effort... and allow your imperfection to be made perfect through the perfect one. You might not always have the best story. You might just enjoy and affirm the other. You might not be the coolest or most connected in the group. But you can rest, knowing that your redemption is secured by means of another savior... not through your own self-saving acts.