Stories for a reunion?

Sometime this year, my high school graduating class will have its 10-year reunion. That's kind of a trippy thought - that a decade has already gone by since the last time we heard a meaningful school bell ringing, signalling the end of one stage of life and the entry into the next.

I'm not sure if I'll attend or not. On the one hand, reunions are supposed to be opportunities for old friends to catch up with one another. On the other, the stereotype appears to be a dog-and-pony show where everyone brings along their wife, their stock portfolio, and a carefully rehearsed story that embellishes life accomplishments, all while being dressed up to the nines. Isn't that the subject matter of countless movies - trying desperately to do enough so as to win the respect of your peers?

While I know that the truth probably lies somewhere in between, there's definitely a part of me that whispers of my potential inadequacy in the eyes of my peers, particularly in the group of folks I hung out with. We were mostly a merry band of overachievers... attempting to outdo each other in grades, AP classes, extracurricular activities, club leaderships, sports, and the like. Accurate or not, I went through high school with the perception that I had to live up to performance standards to be accepted. Even today, the high school friends who I've kept tabs on have done very well - founded companies, become doctors, gotten married or in serious relationships, etc, and I'm happy for them.

When I decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ in college, what I didn't realize until after the fact was that when he came in to "dine with me" (Rev. 3:20), he knew that a complete remodelling was needed. 'Twas no piecemeal upgrade, like re-doing a kitchen or installing new carpet - everything within had to be torn down and built back up again. In my case, God had to systematically strip away everything in my life that I might boast about - to others, or even to myself - so that in the end, I would only be able to, as Paul says, "boast in Christ." I wrote a little bit more in detail about this period of my life in this post.

As I look back now, it's been an incredibly humbling journey walking daily in Jesus, knowing that who I am and what I've done is no big deal - but being able to enjoy Jesus in my life is the biggest deal. Having God as the center of my morals, values, work, decisions, relationships, and most of all, love and enjoyment, has given me a solidifying foundation for being able to regard myself with a right mindset. In other words, my mind is gradually becoming renewed (Romans 12:2).

I've recently begun trying to get back in touch with some of those guys I hung out with in high school. Some of them, I've been in touch with recently, others probably not since freshman or sophomore year in college. I want to hear the stories of their journeys - successes, failures, memorable moments and people - and I'd like the chance to perhaps share some of my own. With the folks I've already caught up with, I've found in myself a strange, yet exhilirating freedom from having to make the list of my life look good to others, and I can just look for ways to relate my life to theirs. I do know that I'm now a very different person than I was, and I can only attribute that to the continuing work God is doing in me as He completes His story in me. Hopefully this story will come through loud and clear through my words.