I love how we build each other up in here, but I always am guarded that we build each other up (in Christ). To lift each other up in the name of Christ Jesus and on the basis of Christ Jesus - even in the practical and monadic (simple) components of our lives.
Most of us place a higher premium on what other people think than we realize. As can be seen in Galatians, the apostle Paul understood this struggle intimately. Mr Scott Peck (an author) illustrates this point through a story of meeting a high school classmate at the age of fifteen. Here are his reflections after a conversation with his friend:
Quote:
I suddenly realized that for the entire ten-minute period from when I had first seen my acquaintance until that very moment, I had been totally self-preoccupied. For the two or three minutes before we met, all I was thinking about was the clever things I might say that might impress him. During our five minutes together, I was listening to what he had to say only so that I might turn into a clever rejoinder. I wanted him only so that I might see what effect my remarks were having upon him. And for the two or three minutes after we separated, my sole thought was of those things I could have said that might have impressed him even more.
I had not cared a whit for my classmate. [ Unquote].
What is most startling about reading this detailed explanation of what was going on beneath the surface of this fifteen-year-old boy, is the recognition that the same dynamics continue for most of us into our twenties, thirties, fifties, seventies, and nineties! We remain trapped in living a pretend life - always seeking the approval of others.
True freedom comes when we no longer need to be special in other peoples eyes because we know we are lovable and good enough in Christ.
* How might it change your day today if you were to cease looking for human approval and begin seeking only the approval of God?
"Grant us courage, Lord, to do today what You have given us to do, to say what You have given us to say, and to become who You have called us to become ... in Jesus' name I pray - Amen."