Dr. Robin Harris Kimbrough
One of the biggest challenges we have as human beings is that we often tend to allow others to control our actions and to dictate how we live the rest of our lives. If we live our lives based on what people think, then we can never experience God’s plan and destiny for our lives.
We have concerned ourselves with what others think, and we do not even care about what God thinks.
How many times have we wanted to clap our hands or yell really loud or cry, but we were worried about what someone would think of us?
How many times have we forsaken a really fun event, an opportunity to enjoy ourselves, and decided not to go, because we were worried about what people would think of our outfit or how we looked?
How many people stay in unhealthy relationships and situations because they are afraid of what someone is going to think of them?
What about the person who has refused to get involved with someone who is decent, because he/she is so caught up in what others would think about the relationship? There are so many people who suffer in silence because they live their lives worried about what someone else will think of them. We need God’s grace. Be encouraged. Don’t worry about what people think.
When Paul schools Timothy on his approach to ministry, Paul charges Timothy with these words: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry,” I Timothy 4:2-5. In other words, we have to do what God has called and made us to do regardless of what people think.
Paul knew that Timothy would run into human beings who would try to discourage him and reject his message. He knew how the thoughts of others would have the power to dissuade Timothy from fulfilling his ministry.
Many of us have not fulfilled our ministry (the calling God has put on our lives) and done the will of God because of “itching ears.”
The thoughts we should be concerned with are the thoughts of God, and we receive those thoughts through the grace of Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, what God thinks is all that matters.
We spend so much time trying to control the thoughts of others that we cannot fulfill God’s will for our lives. We need to live our lives caring about what the Lord thinks about us. When we arrive at this level, demons such as shame and guilt cannot take possession of us.
Not worrying about what people think delivers us from having to live our lives pleasing them—and sacrificing our relationship with Jesus Christ at the same time. There comes a time in our Christian lives we cannot be controlled by the negative, untruthful thoughts of others.
Many of us have adopted the beliefs of others about ourselves, including thoughts that we are ugly, worthless, dumb, crazy, and other thoughts convincing us that we cannot fulfill our ministry. The devil is a liar.
Others lack of belief in our worth is just their opinion. We do not have to share their opinion, because what they think does not even matter. We need to stop paying attention to these thoughts, which do not outweigh God’s positive thoughts about us. Preach the word! Praise the Lord! Live the life! Don’t worry about what people think.
Just think if Jesus cared about what people thought of him?
