Rejection.

The fear of man: being concerned with what people think about me

The fear of God: being concerned with what God thinks about me

People are inconsistent. But God is always happy with me, loves me, and thinks I’m awesome. So I would much rather fear God.

The fear of man is not just a fear... It is a temptation. It is a choice. Once I know what God says about me and thinks about me, I have the choice either to receive that as my identity, or to receive thoughts that are concerned with what people think. Being concerned about what people think is social anxiety. To live without this concern is to live in peace and freedom. But if we hold onto this concern, we will never reach our full potential to love. We have to get outside ourselves so we can be free to care for the souls of others.

But living without concern for what others think of me is HARD. And why is it hard? There is something desirable about the fear of man. It makes us feel safe if we are checking to make sure we are pleasing people. It helps us feel welcome, accepted, appreciated, & glorified. It is very hard to refuse to engage with what other people are thinking. But honestly it is none of our business, and it is sin to engage with these thoughts.

God is teaching me to be confident, not only in myself in the present tense, but to be confident in what I did, to be confident in what I said. It should be enough that He approves!