Given a chance, would you like to be a second choice?
Many of us want to be the first choice in everything. If you are in a competition, you want to be the champion. If you are in school, who would have not wanted to be ranked as the first one. If you are in a relationship, who would want to be the second choice of his/her partner?
Being the first choice gives us a lot of advantage because, in our society, the first choice would always be the best among the rest, the cream of the crop or the greatest one. And here comes the second choice.
For some of us, the second choice would mean that you are the person who is always next to the chosen one. You will be the second one to be called. You are not the last but you are not also the first and you will never feel how it is like to be because being the second choice have its own feeling. You will never feel like you are always good enough and there’s something more that you need to prove. When you are the second choice, you will always feel like you are in a competition and you need to win but ended up not being the winner.
I could remember one of my conversation with my training head in the missionary work, telling him that I always feel inferior to other people because I always feel that I am just a second choice in all the opportunities that I have. I would always feel that I am just existing because of the first choice declined or rejected the opportunities that he should have — like there’s no other choice that’s why I am chosen.
I grew up thinking that I should always excel in everything that I am doing but it would always end up with the situation that there is someone who is always better than me. I did not graduate as a valedictorian in elementary because I ended up being the salutatorian. I am always being tapped in a position in an organization just to replace an inactive one. Finding job was quite difficult because I did not graduate with Latin honors due to a failing grade.
My training head told me that there’s nothing wrong with being the second choice. It is just a matter of our perspective in life. Being second doesn’t mean that you are a loser because, in fact, you are still a winner. It means that there’s more opportunity for you to make yourself to be a better version. Being second doesn’t mean you are less blessed than others because you know that you are indeed loved by the Lord.
Whenever you feel inferior because you are just a second choice, remember these three things:
- There’s no first or second choice in God’s vocabulary. You are being called specifically by name. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, He puts you there for a purpose. You are there to make His love be felt by the people that surround you. Never doubt His plans for you because all of these are for your welfare.
- In the eyes of the Lord, we are all equal. We are all His sons and daughters and we are loved by Him equally. There’s no need to get jealous of the things that we don’t have because we know that He will give it in His time.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. The greatest competitor that you should have is yourself. We should always aim to improve ourselves until we reach our goals. Never compare yourself to the accomplishments of others and be confident that you can also do great things.
You are deeply loved and wonderfully made by the Lord. Being the second choice is still grace. You are not just a backup plan but you are an entrusted one. You are not a loser. In God’s eyes, you are always the winner.
