I ran into a friend at the store who has a son in high school. She said she is fairly certain her son is popular, so she’s satisfied things are going well. As a parent I understand her sentiment, but I can’t say I have longed for my kids to align themselves with
“the popular crowd.” In fact, I’m not sure any crowd is the place to look to for the good stuff of life. Crowds are usually busy keeping up the image of their crowd. Even “good” crowds.
It is a temptation. People can become preoccupied with getting accepted by a crowd and lose focus on what is good and true. I think having a few good friends in school kept me in a sweet spot. I cared not about being popular or in a crowd, in fact, all that looked silly to me. I valued friendship.
One of those friends, Kathy, used to pray for me to come to know the Lord. Now that is a friend. I invited her to a Bible study many years later and she revealed to me that she put me in God’s hands way back in junior high. Now that’s a friend who knows the good stuff of life.
There is no security in the crowd—people join crowds because it gives them a sense of security, like they’re untouchable. Who can doubt the worth of the one who lifts weights with the jock or dyes their hair with the prom queen…or king? If that sounds cliche, there’s a reason. I don’t want cliche, I want the good stuff. When I align myself with God’s will, I need no clique. I click with His goodness. He circles me with the good stuff of life, like people like Kathy.
A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
Meeting God at the Park 