why cheerleaders annoy me ...

warning: i’m feeling rather cynical today ...

it’s fall, which means that it’s football season, which means that it’s cheerleading season. my apologies to anyone who is or has ever been a cheerleader, but i honestly find them so annoying.

i have nothing against the girls (and guys) themselves, but i just have such a hard time with anyone telling me how i should feel. if i’m fired up, i’ll be fired up all on my own, thanks. but if i’m not fired up, then you chanting at me from below to ‘get fired up‘ is certainly not going to be what changes my mood. i’m also not a fan of anyone telling me how i should express what i’m feeling. if i’m excited, then i’d like to be excited in my own way, not clapping my hands and spelling words how and when you tell me to.

right or not, this applies to pretty much any situation for me. so often in christian settings, the pastor or worship leader will try to guilt the congregation/audience into getting fired up for God by reminding them how exuberant they would be if they were at a concert or sporting event. but the fact of the matter is, there are very few instances where this is actually the case for me. that’s not to say that i don’t get excited. i’m just more reserved in my expression. my excitement probably isn’t going to look like the next person’s excitement. you might not be able to see that i’m jumping up and down on the inside, but that doesn’t mean i’m any less excited or that my excitement is worth any less.

i’d just rather not have you tell me what to do or say to show my love for the Lord. my relationship with Him isn’t going to look like anyone else’s relationship with Him, just like no two of my friendships are going to look the same, or like no two couples will express their love for each other in the same way. it’s kind of like a friend’s status today -

I wish everyone felt the freedom to be exactly who they are knowing they'd be loved no matter what. But first we've gotta love like that.

so i’m going to be excited my way and you be excited your way, and i’m going to show love this way and you show love that way, and we all can rest in the assurance of knowing that God loves us just the way we are because, after all, He’s the one who made us this way.

okay, so i warned you that i was feeling cynical. i recognize that there is another side to this coin, but i’ll save that for a day when i’m in the right frame of mind to put a more positive spin on things. thanks for the hours of hard work you put in, cheerleaders, whether on the field or in life. even if you can’t get me to jump up and down, there's always someone else who needs that extra push ...