Just be Cool

Movie critics agree that the top three movies of all time are Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Mean Girls.  What’s that? One of those doesn’t fit?  I agree that Casablanca is overrated, but the critics have spoken and I must oblige.
 
This post is about Mean Girls.  Well, not the whole movie, one particular character.  For those of you that have somehow not seen this cinematic masterpiece, it follows a teenage Cady Herron as she moves from Africa to a new school in America.  Once at her new school, she finds herself accepted into the clique of popular girls, led by Regina George.  Regina and her two sidekicks are the girls every girl wants to be.  People will do anything to get into their good graces.  I say “people” and not “students” because, as we learn when we meet Regina’s mom, it isn’t just Regina’s peers that idolize Regina.
 
When Cady first meets Mrs. George at Regina’s house after school, Mrs. George shows that she is desperately trying to appease her daughter.  Throughout the movie, she dresses and acts like a teenager.  She approves of her daughter doing a slew of immoral, and even illegal acts.  Just after she tells Cady there are no rules in her house, she says with a smile and a wink, “I’m not like a regular mom; I’m a COOL mom.”
 
In relationships, we often take on the same attitude.  We find ourselves desperate for the affections of another and start to overlook bad and indecent behavior all in the name of being “cool.”  No one wants to be considered a nag or a wet blanket, so we let things slide.  If we’re “cool” with their behavior, they’ll like us more.
 
Have you ever said something like “Sure I don’t like that he texts other girls all the time, but I don’t want to scare him off.”  “Yeah, she’s talks down to me all the time, but it’s just her way.”  “I hate when s/he __________, but ____________.”  It’s nothing but excuses because we are too insecure to deal with issues.  We need to be “cool” in their eyes so they don’t leave us.
 
And this is where we are wrong.  Being “cool” does not mean that you are a doormat.  Being treated with disrespect and not standing up for yourself is not what makes a person “cool.”  You are a chosen Child of God and trusting Him means trusting that God has a perfect match for you, not one that you have to tolerate.  Being “cool” is being able to deal with the situation, or if need be, walk away unphased because you know that God has something better planned for you.
 
Where a lot of us go wrong in this situation is that we don’t know how to handle the confrontation.  We scream or yell or cry or freak out.  There’s really no need for such histrionics.  With the peace of God, you can come at it much more simply: either the behavior changes, or the relationship status does.  After all, you’re too cool to get caught up in nonsense.