Recently, I have been obsessed with this idea of being a hipster. This new trend has just been so appealing to me. From the folksy music to the flannel shirts and beanies, the oh so graceful way of sipping chai lattes and the perfectly filtered Instagram posts, this was everything I wanted to take part in.
So here is my hipster blog.
Here’s the actual Google definition of hipster:
Hip•ster (noun) – a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream
Basically, a hipster is someone who wants to be the same as everyone and stand out at the same time.
This is us throughout life. We want to fit in, but we want to stand out. We want to be original, but we don’t want to be seen as crazy. Life is a constant balancing act of wanting to be an individual while fitting in with those around us.
I see this theme in the middle schoolers I work with. For them, it’s all about fitting in. For the most part, they don’t want attention drawn to themselves. They only answer questions when they are absolutely sure of the answer. Only the bravest and most secure in who they are as a person are willing to stand up and be different. And strangely enough, the ones who do are always looked up to and revered. These youth are so desperately trying to figure out where they belong in the social world while trying to find acceptance and approval from those around them. They are so scared that being different will cause them to be made fun of and laughed at. All they want is for someone to see them as they truly are, and love them for exactly who they are.
I see this same thing in high school teens. A few years older, most are starting to get a grasp on who they are. They are much more bold and want to be different and individual. They want to be noticed and paid attention to, whether that attention be positive or negative. They, too, are seeking to know just exactly who they are, and long to be accepted for being simply themselves.
I see this in college students I pass by every day. In a sea of thousands of people on our monotonous journey to earn that priceless diploma that dictates the course of our lives, so many of us just want to be seen and heard. We want to know that our life matters, that we’re not just another number.
[tweetthis]We live in the midst of an ongoing identity crisis.[/tweetthis]
At every age, we are faced with finding our identity. We are constantly forced to define and redefine ourselves. Where do we fit in? Who are we? Where do we belong? The deluge of questioning never ends.
We live in the midst of an ongoing identity crisis. So if we are always questioning our identity, how can we ever hope to properly function? How can we live our lives with purpose and do our jobs wholeheartedly? How can we live out our unique calling, or even know what that calling is?
The answer is this: We cannot.
This means that we must know who we are. We can do no good works without first investing in ourselves. We must have a core foundation of beliefs that is unchanging. We must build our lives on something solid in order to grow.
When we get to the heart of the matter, the only foundation on which to build our lives that is solid and unchanging is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End.
The answer to all these questions is Jesus Christ. Our identity is found in Him.
At the heart of our search to find who we truly are is this desire familiar to every human being: We all want to be known.
The truth is, this desire can only be satisfied by the One who knows us more completely than anyone else ever will. No other person on Earth can know and love us more completely and more perfectly than the one who created us.
Once we find where our true self lies, it is then we can share ourselves with others, and in turn, share Christ with others. Once we realize that our identity is found in the One unchanging thing in this world, all other questions fall away. We can be confident in who we are. We don’t have to pretend to be something we are not.
[tweetthis]We are His. We are enough.[/tweetthis]