24 Jan, 2012

Awkward

Taylor Swift: ‘I Don’t Ever Feel Like the Cool Kid’
 
In a new interview in the February issue of Vogue -- Taylor Swift's first turn on the legendary fashion mag's cover -- the 22-year-old country-pop star has just one word to describe her teen years.
"So . . . middle school? Awkward," says Swift, who grew up in Pennsylvania, first on a rural Christmas tree farm and later in a wealthier suburban area. "Having a hobby that's different from everyone else's? Awkward. Singing the national anthem on weekends instead of going to sleepovers? More awkward. Gain a lot of weight before you hit the growth spurt? Awkward. Frizzy hair, don't embrace the curls yet? Awkward. Try to straighten it? Awkward!"
And despite her current fame, all those Grammys, lots of big paychecks (oh, and even a Vogue cover, her "awkward" past is still hard to shake. "I think who you are in school really sticks with you," Swift admits. "I don't ever feel like the cool kid at the party, ever. It's like, Smile and be nice to everybody, because you were not invited to be here."
And like so many stars with a squeaky clean image, there are those waiting in the wings for her to stumble. Swift explains how she often gets questioned by reporters about when she's going to start "stumbling out of clubs" or have some sort of "scandal or meltdown."
"As time has gone by, I've gotten that question less and less. I think, for me, the bigger pitfall is losing your self awareness," the singer explains. Even though I am at a place where my dresses are really pretty and the red carpets have a lot of bright lights and I get to play to thousands of people . . . you have to take that with a grain of salt. The stakes are really high if you mess up."


Story from news.yahoo.com
Image from images.google.com
1 Samuel 16:6-8 (ESV)
 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD's anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 

What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about our self-image?
 
In a day and age of air-brushed celebrity magazine covers, it is often difficult to remember verses like today's God's Story scripture. And even when we may remember that it is tucked away in God's Story, we may find it difficult to embrace the fact that God just sees things differently that we humans do.  It is easy to compare ourselves to celebrities like Taylor Swift - whether it's her look, or her lifestyle or her talent. But God makes it very clear through the prophet Samuel when he is choosing a new king for Israel ... the outward appearance doesn't matter. It is the heart that is the most important.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
 
If you had to describe what you are experiencing as you journey through middle school and high school in one word, what would that word be? Many reading this today may have already completed that journey. What word would you choose? Perhaps "awkward" fits your experience as well. Thank God today for looking at our heart, and ask him to work in your heart as you continue to follow him. 
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
 
Chances are you have a friend or two who really like Taylor Swift. Ask those friends to guess the word Taylor Swift chose for her word. Ask those friends how they feel knowing that Taylor Swift chose a word like 'awkward' to describe her high school experience.
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