THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM: A 7 - Day Disovery of How God's Patterns for Living Turn Our Lives the Right Way Up by Youth Alive AusSample

POPULAR OPINION DOESN'T MATTER

Cameron was born with red hair. I’m sure you can imagine what the other kids at school called him - carrot tops. So original, I know! His name was very unusual at the time, and hardly anyone had heard it before. The other kids got very creative in their teasing and would taunt him by holding imaginary cameras up to their faces while chanting ‘camera, camera, click, click, click.’

No doubt we can all remember being teased, and even though it’s almost a rite of passage when it comes to childhood, none of us likes the feeling. Very few of us want to stand out, and so we try to fit in. One way we do this is to go along with popular opinion.

Caring about what others think can easily consume us, and while it’s not wrong to care, being too occupied by it can be a problem. We can find ourselves craving approval and fearing rejection. It can stop us from doing something we know we should do, or make us do something we know we shouldn’t.

One of the greatest apostles in the New Testament, Paul, wrote a letter to the people of Corinth, whom he had pastored for over a year. Knowing they could be very judgmental, he said to them in 1 Corinthians 4:3 (MSG) ‘It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion.’ Paul understood another of God’s upside-down patterns that will help you - we should care more about what God thinks than what others think. It’s so freeing to live from the perspective, I don’t care what you think of me.

Instead, immerse yourself in what God thinks of you. How can you find out what His opinion of you is? By reading His word. And you can start by reading all the scriptures attached to today’s plan. I am His (Isaiah 43:1). I have purpose (Esther 4:14). I am special (Psalm 139:14).

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

You alone know my heart, and Your approval is all that matters. Please free me from the burden of worrying about others’ opinions. Help me to rest in your truth that I am wonderfully and fearfully made.

Amen