From The Outside Looking In

I grew up in a pastor's home. That came with perks and also cons. People have a tendency of putting the pastor's family on a pedestal. They hope we are perfect and if we aren't that means we are rebels and are walking away from the faith. Growing up in this condition really made me idolize people's opinion of me. If they didn't like me or thought I was rude then that meant I must be a sinner or I had a rebellious heart. That opened my heart to self consciousness at a very early age. I felt like I had to be perfect and if I wasn't then I had failed the people, my parents and God. But God never teaches such bondage. Actually Jesus never succumbed to what people thought of Him. They said He had a demon (Luke 11:15) ......the Son of God had a demon??? What poor judgement!!! Jesus only valued the opinion of one person, and that was His
Father. 

He soooo valued it that He went against His race's culture (John 4:9) and even His religion's culture (Matt 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5; Luke 14:1-6). A lot of times we let what is outside shape what is inside. How many of us are suffering right now because we want to be accepted by the outside world. A lot of times we even push aside communion with God and His warnings just to be accepted. 

To fit in, we have to look a certain way, act a certain way, dress a certain way etc. God calls us to a life of freedom where the only opinion that matters is His. He already declared His love by dying before you even thought about choosing to love Him. He had a radical love. I think it's time to start laying aside those lies we have heard all our lives and ask God to heal us. So he will be the only opinion that matters.









God bless with love,

Felicia