You can become popular and make friends easily. You don't have to be brainy. You don't have to be good-looking. But if you are a Christian you have to be popular for the right reasons.
Why are some people popular?
You only have to think about why some people you know are popular, and you will work out what makes them this way. It may be that they are always cheerful. Or maybe they always know how to avoid offending people. Maybe they just make people feel good when they are around. These qualities almost guarantee that you will be popular.
People don't like to be around someone who is always complaining, sad, critical, and negative, or around people who don't have much control of themselves.
Josh's story
Josh realized this when he was a teen. Josh grew up in a home with a screaming mother and two older sisters who were constantly arguing. It was normal for them to complain about lack of money, to criticize Josh's father for walking out on his mother, to talk about suicide, and to tell people how bad everything was.
But Josh started thinking
He wondered why he wasn't popular at school, yet other kids who were no better off than he was always had friends. He tried to analyze why Mike was one of the most popular guys at school. Mike wasn't the brightest student, even though he always did his best. But Mike always seemed happy even when everything went wrong. And Mike was honest and willing to talk to anyone about anything. Josh realized that Mike didn't try to impress people with skills he didn't have, and he had developed wonderful self-control.
Changed attitude
This analysis did wonders for Josh. He decided to try Mike's way. Soon, Josh realized the world was a better place than he had thought. Acting happier soon made him feel happier, and when his plans didn't work out he didn't feel as miserable as he used to.
After a while he found that people were taking more notice of him and his opinions. A girl he liked, Stephanie, had previously ignored him. But suddenly she asked him to come on a hayride she was organizing for some overseas friends who were staying with her family.
Josh's family noticed the difference in him too. When they couldn't draw him into an argument, they either left him alone or stopped arguing. Without him to join in, the arguments became less frequent.
Josh's changed attitude had a good effect on him, for he is now a popular adult. He has a good influence on other people too. That's because people like to be around happy, positive people. Leaders are positive about improving what they can. And popular leaders are those who are honest, fair, happy with their beliefs, and not easily swayed from doing right. These characteristics make anyone popular.
What the Bible says
The Bible tells us why some famous people were popular.
Gideon increased his popularity with the people of Israel after he got rid of some Midianite kings (Judges 8:2122). The men of Israel then asked Gideon to rule over them. Gideon refused, saying, The LORD shall rule over you. Gideon was popular because of his heroic deeds, but he would not take the Lord's rightful place.
Solomon too was popular with kings and ordinary people alike because of his great wisdom (1 Kings 4:34). Absalom was popular because of his good looks (2 Samuel 15:25).
Get right with God
There are many ways to become popular, but Jesus warned His followers not to try to become outwardly popular while their hearts were not right with God. (Matthew 6:36.) He reminded them that God sees what people do in secret and will reward them when they do it for the right reason.
If you want to be popular, then be happy, honest, positive, and try to make people feel happy when they are around you. Jesus was popular with multitudes of people, even though His high moral standards angered many. But Jesus stressed that what is most important in being a follower of His (a Christian) is to follow His teachings (Mark 8:3438). Being popular with God is the most valuable popularity of all!
