Happy "Embrace Your Geekness" Day, Nerds!
Today is “Embrace Your Geekness” Day and some people (cough cough, VICKEY) thought I would have a lot to say on the topic! Of course, I was flattered (who wouldn’t be?!) and a few things immediately came to mind when I started thinking about what “embracing your geekness” means.
But let’s settle something right off the bat—if reading the Harry Potter series so many times you’ve lost track and closely following Justin Bieber’s professional and faith journey is geeky, then I don’t wanna be cool!
The thing about “geekness” is that it looks different for everyone. Your dream vacation might not be Harry Potter World, but everyone has their thing. I’ve usually embraced my “geekness” (read: “coolness”), but it has definitely become easier over the years to know what matters about who I am.
Because dreams come true, I was chosen during the wand presentation at Harry Potter World. As you can see from the expression on my face, life cannot possibly go up from here.
But...I do care about what people think of me. I care what they think of my character, my work ethic, whether or not they find me trustworthy. I really care what they think about my decisions and life when it’s the opinion of someone I trust, respect, and love.
Do you want to know what I don’t care about? Whether or not they think what I like is nerdy. Chances are they are probably passionate about something that would bore me to tears! And that’s okay! After all, variety is the spice of life, right?
This is really helpful to remember when it comes to community. Community does not mean sameness. Community is about completely different people coming together to encourage each other, learn from each other, and point each other to Jesus. If we talk on a broader scale, when you don’t value another person’s race or background, much less their silly likes and dislikes, you are invalidating their experiences and existence. You dismiss their story simply because it is not the same as your own.
The best thing I could write about on “Embrace Your Geekness Day” is to absolutely embrace it (work it, own it!), but more importantly, embrace others for their quirks and uniqueness.
Be open to people who are different from you. Ask questions and listen. There is much to learn and enjoy. We need each other!
Meet the Author!
Makenzie graduated from Wheaton College where she majored in Christian Ministry, Urban Studies, and Photography and somehow managed to apply all of her degrees to work in the real world! She has a passion for community development after years working in urban ministry in Chicago, non-profits in Austin, and part-time roles at CRBC the past 4&1/2 years. She loves being able to equip and serve the church and recently stepped into the full-time role as Minister of Missions at CRBC which includes both local and global partnerships. Despite being the missions minister, she is quite the homebody. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, loves Oklahoma City, and loves to be with her friends, family, and ADORABLE weenie dog, May.