Last week I wrote about feeling invisible.
When people feel that way, they sometimes try really hard to make everyone like them by either cracking jokes, dressing a certain way, laughing at things they don’t even find funny, or acting in ways that don’t line up with their values. When you’re young, popularity can seem like the ultimate goal. But honestly? It’s not nearly as important as it looks.
I know this because I’ve been there.
A few years ago, I started wondering if I wanted to be one of those “popular” people, even though I already had a solid group of friends. But when I pictured that version of me, I didn’t recognize him. I could almost feel myself slipping away in my imagination…my confidence, my peace, the quiet sense of who I was.
So I stopped chasing it before I even started. I realized that wasn’t the path God had for me.
I still really love my friends who are at the center of it all. I care for them as people, laugh with them, and even hang with them on occasions, but I’ve learned something important: I can and will love them without following them.
Here’s the truth: we all want to be seen. But chasing other people’s approval is like trying to hold water in your hands; it just leaks out. When we look for validation outside of ourselves and outside of God, we basically hand someone else the remote control to our worth. And the next person who ignores us or talks behind our back can suddenly change how we see ourselves. That’s not how we were designed to live.
God never asked us to blend in with the crowd. He calls us to stand out, and not in a showy way, but in a way that quietly shows His love and truth through how we live.
Standing out can be awkward sometimes. It can mean being left out, embarrassed, or misunderstood. My mom has said, “In God’s economy, nothing is wasted.” Every awkward moment, every lonely lunch table, even being part of the “popular group” and later teaching your own kids differently (my mom)…every experience, even the big mistakes, God uses it all to shape you into someone stronger and steadier.
My stepdad, whom I call Poppy, has us memorize Bible verses every month so we will know a total of 100 in our memory bank before we graduate high school. The one that rings a bell here is Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.”
So yeah, being popular might make you known for a moment.
But being faithful? That makes you known by God forever.
And that kind of “known” never fades.
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About Future Voices
Future Voices is a Sunday morning column in The Dallas Express where young Texans share how faith and perseverance shape their lives. These stories remind readers that God often speaks through the honesty and courage of the next generation.