It starts young.

Were you ever picked last when classmates were choosing teams for kickball out on the playground? No one wants to be the one picked last. I sometimes was.

Did you ever have a falling out with your group of friends at school and find yourself standing in the lunch room with your tray of food with no where to sit, no where to belong? Many of us probably have!

Even our two cats can seem to get jealous of one another when they see one getting special attention or being fed treats. Sad, but if you have pets, you know it's true!

How many times in your life have you experienced feeling like an outcast, an outsider? Do you remember the pain and loneliness associated with that? Are you experiencing it right now? Do you feel like you've been an outsider your entire life? What does God's word tell us about being insiders or outsiders?

I think - especially when we're young - we all want to be in the "in-crowd." Unfortunately, I think this can often carry over from our childhood into our teenage years, our college years, and even into our adult lives. Perhaps some of you have outgrown the fear of being an outsider. I would like to say I have, but my emotions often tell me differently!

Why is it that our human nature is always looking for a way in, - for someone "important" to know us, for everyone to like us, for more "followers" on Twitter, for more "friends" on Facebook or Myspace? There is nothing wrong with making new friends or connecting people through these new online mediums in and of itself, but if that is where we're finding our self-worth, than we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

As a society, we have come to believe that being on the inside makes us more valuable, more secure, and gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. We think that once we've reached a certain level of acceptance/importance/value in those inner circles, that it will be like that forever - perhaps we even expect that our popularity will simply continue to escalate over time, 'cause we're just that cool.

However, we will inevitably find out all too soon that things can change, and suddenly we're on the outside looking in, feeling easily and painfully forgotten by our so-called friends. Then where do we find our worth, our purpose in living, our reason to get out of bed in the morning? What do we do with our shattered sense of value and importance, our plans for the future that are now a distant memory, our loneliness and broken hearts?

I've been reading through Hebrews lately, and I was so encouraged to be reminded that Jesus himself was an outsider. He knew that this world was not His home and that He'd really never be welcome in it. He kept His eyes on the prize and didn't let the world take away His purpose, God's plans, and His joy. Hebrews 13:13-15 talks about this very thing:

"So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is, not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This 'insider world' is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let's take our place outside with Jesus, …pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus' name." (The Message)

What if instead of trying to always edge our way inside, we truly focused our energy on going against the grain, choosing to live like outsiders....like Jesus? How would our lives change?

To follow Jesus is to die to ourselves, our flesh, and our sinful nature. It's to die to privilege. To follow Jesus is to "share in His abuse," and to live our lives in a way that tells the world - in love - that this is not our home.

I know this is a lesson I am still learning, because my flesh always gets in the way. I often wish I had more friends or felt more connected to the world in which I live, but really since a young age I have felt like I just don't belong …anywhere! I always thought there was something wrong with me, but now I'm beginning to see more clearly that when we follow Jesus, we are really making an active choice to be an outsider. But we can take comfort in the fact that we're in good company when we choose Jesus!

May our hearts' desire be to "go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is," remembering that heaven is our home. We need to remind ourselves again and again that it's actually okay to feel like an outsider. In fact, if we feel like insiders, then that may be the first clue we're spending our time in the wrong circles seeking after the wrong things. Even if they're "good" things, it's not the better thing. I dare say, to follow Jesus is to feel like an outsider. So let's embrace it!

At least as Christ-Followers we can be outsiders …together.

"May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes." (Hebrews 13:19-21, The Message)