Pressured to Perform!

Young peeps living in urban cities all over India are now faced with the daunting pressure to perform, the pressure to fit "in." If you aren't cool enough or socially popular, then you are in for some gloomy days. All of us crave acceptance and love. We try our best to look good, speak well and gain the approval of our family and peers. No one likes being left out! But is beauty only skin deep? Are we cool based on the way we dress, talk or act?

 Some think that popularity is possible only when they have a boyfriend or girlfriend tagging on their arm. If you aren’t currently seeing someone, then there's got to be something wrong with you or if you haven’t slept around as yet, then you are not 'cool' enough. Some go to the extreme of cussing, using foul language and supposedly "hip hop" lingo. And then there’s the web of technology that we young people so easily get mercilessly entangled in. If you happen to have some of the coolest techno gadgets in your grip, then you’re it! Your friend list on Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and other social networks will only explode when you are brand conscious, smart, talented, musically inclined, outrageously funky, weirdly cool, downright snobbish, fashionably unique and have a great profile picture that does not show any blemishes (most probably a picture that you have spent the whole night trying to edit using Photoshop). When you have all of these ingredients then Voila! You are a social success and you are sure to have a skyrocketing friend list!                      

Even though we all strive to be "in", we must confess that we are often worn out with trying to keep up with the Joneses! Sometimes we feel like breaking out of the status quo and just being ourselves. Well, we have all felt that way sometime or the other. We have all felt pressured to dress, talk or act a certain way just to be cool in society or just to "fit in."

Is there a way out of this superficial trap?  I mean who defines what is cool or not in society? Why should some kids be more popular than others? Who labeled the geeks as social failures and presumed the brats to be "in?" Who said that being rude, disrespectful or downright sinful was cool? Media, magazines, books, movies, friends and our very own urban metropolitan cultures have got us chained in the prison of performance. Only when we perform in a certain manner can we be socially accepted. HUMBUG!

 I believe that it’s time for us as a generation to stand up for the truth in our cities. We need to take the power of the transforming good news about Jesus Christ to the hurting world around us. But first, the change must begin with us. Paul in Romans 12:2 warns us not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world but instead to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And that can only happen when we learn to consciously meditate on God's Word at all times. When we have His Word written upon our hearts, we will not feel compelled to give in to the peer pressure that buffets us from every side.

  We need to start looking at ourselves through God's eyes. We are wonderfully and beautifully created in the image of God. We don't have to perform to be accepted by God for He loves us just the way we are, warts and all! We are precious and honored in His sight! We are unique (that includes our funny noses, rough hair or chubby legs). The coolest thing about God is that He does not judge us based on our outer appearance but instead is concerned about the matters of the heart. A truly beautiful person is more than skin deep because beauty is from the inside out. You may have the latest fashion, the trendiest hair or the most "happening" lingo but if you are terrible on the inside, chances are that you have missed the mark all together. Remember the most beautiful people on earth are those who have made a difference in society with the power of God and will always be remembered for years to come. Fashion will come and go, but character will always remain.

So yeah, you are unique and wonderful the way you are (It's a fact, whether you believe it or not). So never try to be someone else in order to fit in. God loves you, believes in you and has a bright future in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11). While it's fun to have a makeover every now and then, try working on developing your inner character. God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us do, just that! May Christ be our "model" and may we become more and more like Him with each and every passing day. Trust me....it's worth all the effort! It's okay to be cool, fashionable and smart but never ever let it rule your life where you soon find yourself pressured to perform! I leave you to ponder on some of the lyrics of the popular song, "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot (which by the way is my favorite band).

 "I dare you to move, I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor, I dare you to move, like today never happened before. The tension is here, between who you are and who you could be. Between how it is and how it should be. Where can you run to escape from yourself? Salvation is here! I dare you to move!"

 I dare you to move against the current! No one can ever be you....so be challenged to be all that God has created you to be! Go ahead! Break free from the chains of the pressure to perform...Be yourself and make a difference for God!