Day 2471 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Galatians 1:10 NIV
I'm thankful that we don't have to spend our lives trying to earn the praise or approval of people. This is one of my favorite verses because it reminds us what really matters, where our focus should be, and just how dangerous it is to be distracted by things that have no meaning or purpose. Worldly opinions and the chasing of human approval could not be a bigger waste of time or energy. But that doesn't mean that it's not dangerously common.
It's something that all of us have done at some point. We buy into this worldly idea that we need to make people like us. We start thinking that human praise is important. We fall for things like popularity and performance as these ways to gauge our success or worth. And once we start down that slippery slope it's hard to find the traction that helps us back to our feet so that we can crawl out of it. But that's exactly what we need to do.
Last night my family and I were driving down the road and this guy next to us decided it was a good idea to roll down his window and start yelling at my mom and sister for something they were doing that he apparently didn't like or agree with. That kind of thing is becoming more common in this place as hatred and arrogance continue to grow out of hand. But it left me thinking about all the differing opinions and perspectives that there are down here.
It is growing increasingly easy to find someone who will disagree with something we do. We can always find someone who doesn't like something we say, something we do, something we believe in. That's why we need to remember that we're not living to make this world like us. We're not here to fit in with a world that has chosen chaos as its status quo. We're not here to lay down who we are or what we believe in to gain the favor of those around us. Please understand that!
The opinions, perspectives, and judgements of this world and those in it carry no weight. They have no meaning unless we give them the power to impact us or alter who we are and how we're living our lives. That's something that is crucially important for us as Christians to always remember. This world and many, many people in it do not like our faith, do not agree with our beliefs, and will try endlessly to change our minds and pull us away from the path that we're on following Christ.
We cannot let that happen. But sadly, it happens pretty easily and pretty quickly. As soon as we allow the opinions and perspectives of those who don't like us or agree with us to take root they grow into doubt. As soon as we start paying attention to the ones who yell the loudest or push the hardest then we're giving them power to potentially pull us in the wrong direction. As soon as we take our eyes off of Christ and start looking to what the world wants us to be then we're simply heading the wrong way.
Friends, this world runs on opinions. People are more worried about proving themselves, gaining social praise, and feeling justified in their perspectives than they are about the truth or simply being decent to others. Is that really the kind of mindset that we should give any credence? Is this world really the place where we want to try to fit in? Are the opinions of those around us anywhere close to that of God? I can't answer any of those for anyone else, but I hope that you'll consider them.
The bottom line is that this isn't our home and the opinions and approval of humans like us have no weight in the place where we truly belong. Don't lose yourself to gain anything in this world. Do not live to serve human opinions because doing so will require us to lose sight of what really matters and who we're here to be. Above all, remember what Christ told us: He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our life, our goal, our reason, our justification. We don't need anything or anyone else to tell us who we are or what we should be focused on.
Never forget that!
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