Something to Cheer About!

Today I saw a picture of some girls I went to Jr. High School with. They were not my friends, we barely spoke. But these girls had a huge impact on my teen life. They were the CHEERLEADERS! It's funny that I can't remember having a conversation with one of them, but, I remembered what they looked like. I can still see their tanned, well shaped legs sticking out of their crisp skirts. I can even remember some of their names.They were so peppy, so popular, so beautiful. Oh how I hated them. Oh how I wanted to be them!
I was perusing some pictures of an old friend on facebook, and there they were! Just like I remembered them! It got me thinking about what an impression they had made on me.
I spend a lot of time thinking about things that some people might not give a second thought to. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I want God to teach me, so I search for the truth in things. I take the everyday things, and sift over them, and over them, to find the nugget of truth. I want to know Him!
So, what does hating Cheerleaders have to do with knowing God? Very little probably. But I think I see that I didn't hate them, or I wouldn't have wanted to be one of them. I tried out for the cheerleading squad in the 8th grade. I didn't make it. They were the ideal, and I couldn't make myself good enough to be one of them. That's what I hated.
Reminds me of a scripture : Romans 7:18b "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannnot carry it out." This struggle within himself caused Paul to say in verse 24 of the same chapter, "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death!" There is a struggle that goes on within us to be good. But there is nothing in us that can do it! We are powerless. I can't make myself obey the ideals of God contained in the law, any more than I could have made myself more coordinated, or beautiful, or shapely. I was powerless.
Thankfully, Paul answers his own question about his powerlessness and ours when he says,"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Through Christ, we have the victory over our inability!
See what God can teach you from an old picture! He's so good! (I could lead that cheer!)