The Amish Do Not Care What Others Think of Them
A friend posed the question at brunch the other day..."How do you stop caring what others think of you?" Tough question. Tough answer. It's a fact that everyone is concerned with what others think; it's especially difficult if you're a vibrant Christian. But the answer to the question lies in learning another question: How Do I Start Caring What God Thinks of Me? Every time the urge to feel shame, regret, or the desire to keep up appearances emerges, we have to learn to reframe our perception. Adam and Eve cared what God thought of them--they were naked and ashamed. Sad, but true. Satan, the Accuser, loves when we are so worried or preoccupied about PEOPLE'S perceptions that we forget about the only One who really matters. Now, you might say..."Oh, God knows all about me; he knows how awful I am. I'm comfortable with Him." That's nice, but why do we devalue this unconditional love by putting even a stranger's perception of us above God? Noted serial killer, Ted Bundy, supposedly accepted Christ before his execution and gave interviews about the many women he killed and what they had in common...they were all young, beautiful, and he said something very interesting--"They were each very concerned with being polite, helpful, and good." He had a fake cast for his leg and would lure women by asking for their help, or tell them that his son or dog was lost, and would they help....He said that if these women would have been less concerned with what a handsome stranger thought of them by their saying no, he would not have killed them. His sick game would have ceased to be fun. So what does this mean when applied to the peer, the teacher, the adult, or boss that you're supposed to care about in their perceptions? It means that if you focus on caring about what God thinks first, you may find yourself in some situations where you might be considered rude, absent,and snotty, but you will be unassaulted on the deepest level that really matters. So, ask yourself....How DO I Start Caring What God Thinks of Me? Be willing to be a fool for Christ and your life will be filled with abundance.
Now that is some pretty heavy duty stuff to consider,Kelly. My brain thanks you for giving it some very pertinent material to digest over the weekend! Blessngs
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So, so true. At the end of the day, it's God who will judge us, not others.
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I learned this long ago thank you for the reminder. One thing I also learned if we are living with the thoughts 'What would God think if I did this?' You are truly happy and at peace with yourself more. Something else is people notice these things and well we don't really care what they think, but their perceptions of us changes (or its for the positive) Because when you are in tune with Heavenly Father it starts to shine through and others see it.
Thank you for sharing this article Kelly it is a great reminder of what really matters.
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