Stay Second
On the way home last week, Stephanie and I stopped at McDonald's for food before we got home. I stepped up to the register to order my food and before I could get a word out of my mouth, the woman gasped and started to point frantically at my arm. Now, it was really early and I was suffering post concert headaches, so it took a minute for me to get what was happening. I had gotten dressed and put on my 116 hoodie and my I am Second wristband. Both things I've had so long I completely forgot that I wore. Since the only other person there was Stephanie, she took my order and then started asking a ton of questions about the bracelet. I took it off to show her and she held it, turned it over once or twice before she said, "I have always wanted to take a stand on that, but never knew how. Like I knew there were wristbands, but where on earth did you get one? I'm not an artist or anyone important, so I doubt I could ever get one. But I do love the movement and I try to tell everyone abut it. They have all of these videos out with all of these awesome people, but I'm just a clerk in McDonald's. My story just isn't important enough to tell." In all of the time that I have known about I am Second, it has never been about the amount of big names that they could get to do those videos. It was however always about the message. That even in their current state of success or their stories, they were still second to the God that created them. It also encourages others to share their stories as well. It doesn't matter who you are or where you work, McDonald's or otherwise. The thing that does matter is that we continue to share and continue to have faith in a world where being first is the end all, be all of success. In many cases, it takes more of an effort to stay second and admit that we aren't the greatest than it does to take the credit for things that we really didn't have a part in. I told her that I for one thought that her story matters, and that I didn't care where she worked, where she came from, or who she was, that as a human being she has more worth than she knows. Moreover, that the strength to know that she is second, and everything that led up to that is an incredible moment and story coming from anyone. When she went to hand the bracelet back, I told her that it was for her to keep and the only thing that I wanted was a picture to share her story, and to encourage people that they matter. When I picked up my food she said that she was going to write her story out so that she could start sharing it at her church and I wished her luck with that.
Moral of this story. You can be anyone from Lecrae to a McDonald's worker and your story will still always be worth telling. Stay Second
