Let’s face it. When we were in school, it was our friends’ opinions that usually mattered most.
As we age and grow in Christ, we can see more and more that it is what God says that matters most. I think it takes conscious effort to choose to live and believe that way.
Here is a quote by Henri Nouwen, “Our clinging to the opinions of others reveals how superficial we are…We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.”
May we all come to the place where we are more rooted in God than in the opinions of others. This is a long journey if you are a people pleaser and I am afraid I have been that too many times.
Here are a few helpful verses:
“I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus” (1 John 2:12).
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5)
“So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:10).
“Do not fear. I have redeemed you. I have summoned you. You are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).
Blessings,
Thora
