LEGACYouth: Hipster Jesus

No matter who you are, chances are you like to be known. I mean who wouldn’t want to be recognized as hashtag-worthy, a trend-setting hipster or some form of cool. #firstworlddreams

But let’s face it: these desires can be rather murky.

For instance, what does hipster mean anyway? 

A hipster, by definition, follows the latest trends and fashions. They believe the world can be run better and look better at the same time. And best of all, hipsters don't need a crystal ball to see into the future. Instead, they can rely on an innate sense to recognize what will be culturally acceptable years down the road, while still knowing what's currently 'in'.

Pretty cool, right? 

Unfortunately, many hipsters are so busy maintaining an identity set by the world, they lose sight of what truly matters. 

But what if the secular definition of "hipster" was flipped on its head? What if "hipster" included people helping others become who they were meant to be?  

After all, isn't that what a hipster does?  See the potential and live in the hope of its reality?

Now here me, I'm not bashing hipsters or trying to discourage anyone from being one/wanting to be one. In fact, I'm saying quite the opposite.

The question is, 'What trends are you following? What are you trying to emulate? What is at the heart of what you want to be?' 

See we were all fashioned by the greatest hipster of all-time! In the beginning was the Word (John 1), and from it came everything we experience today. So when we look at creation, we know it’s good because God saw it to be so (Genesis 1). This tells me God knew from the beginning the very best He had for each and every one of us.

But God isn't hipster just because He can see the future. He's also hipster because He understands the difference between need and want and knows how both apply to every single person.

Bam, now that is cool!

Plus, God is perfectly chill. To those thinking He is a fidgety tightwad, consider Luke 12:22-26:

"And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?"

Now, you may think God is anti-hipster when you hear this, but in fact, the opposite is true. For God knew everything we needed to live a life of goodness and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) before it was cool. 

As for Jesus, well, he's pretty hipster as well. I mean…he turned water into wine, has copies of the New Testament on vinyl and was a fan of Nine Inch Nails before they were a band! 




But if that doesn't impress you, consider the fact he a) boiled down the entire Gospel into two powerful principles - (1) Love God, (2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself…and b) knew the trends of God and how to be obedient in all types of situations. As a result, God used him to heal the diseased, raise the dead and ultimately redeem humanity by death on a cross.

Bottom line: In a world chasing what's trending, we can rest assured in what's been trending since the beginning of time: you already are what you desire to be. Why? Because you are loved. The master creator of the universe considers you the coolest thing not just since sliced bread…but bread period! 

So why not allow what God thinks/says to be what trends in your life. For our hipster ways? They come and go as the relative pishposh they are. 

But God? He's absolutely, 100% cool…and His ways will never become outdated.

How wonderful it is to know that out of God's perfection, He makes all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and as recipients of divine change, we don’t have to strive for our worth.

To be continued...

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.