Today I’m going to tell you all something I’ve struggled with. Maybe you have a similar struggle or someone else you know struggles. I want to challenge and encourage you as you read through this.

Confession: I spend too much time worrying what others think of me. Deep down, I know it doesn’t matter, yet I do it over and over. I put myself in a cage that I made myself of things people never told me to begin with. I stick labels on myself that no one ever gave me.

Why? Why do I subject myself to my own form of mental torment? And why do I let it effect my relationships with others?

Does it matter? Does it really matter what they say or what they think? How does that impact how I function? Should it?

News flash: Everyone isn’t going to like me. I know this. I can’t change this. So why do I constantly search for acceptance from others?

Jesus couldn’t please everyone, so why do we think we can? Our affirmation comes from Christ alone. The One who made us, shaped us, and transformed us into who we are. The One who died to save our souls.

My prayer for you all today is to think through some of these thoughts and be honest with yourself. We can’t get what we’re looking for from someone else. We search for it as if we are held accountable for achieving affirmation from someone else. When we already have acceptance from Christ, we no longer need to find it from others.

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” -Proverbs 29:25

“The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” -Psalm 118:7-9