ONE LESS THING TO WORRY ABOUT

Have you ever come home from a gathering of family and friends and then spent the next day worrying about the things you said? Did I sound prideful? Did she take what I said the wrong way? Was I talking too much? Was I too passionate about the subject? Did I offend anyone?

To an extent, all of us worry about what other people think. We wonder how we are perceived. We wish we could get inside their heads and know what people truly think of us. It all comes down to needing the approval of others. We base our identity on the judgement of others. We think part of our identity is how people view us. 

Worrying what people think is a subject that many people fret over, sometimes on a daily basis. Just Google the subject and you will have enough reading material for a month. On 43things.com, the world's largest goal setting community, 4,000 people said that they wish they could stop caring what other people think.  And on Wiki How, you can learn the seven steps to not care what others think of you.  

As a representative of Christ, I do care what others think of me. But I have to remind myself that not everyone is going to like what I have to say. Some people might think that I am prideful. Some might think I'm too harsh. They might disagree with me. They might even think that I've gone bonkers. And I could go bonkers if I allowed myself to worry about these things. 

Even Jesus wanted men to admire Him and trust Him, but He didn't change who He was to win their approval. And neither should we. The best way to stop caring so much what others think is to start caring about what God thinks. Start caring about what others think of Christ. Analyze everything you say and do in light of His approval. 

We worry so much about our reputations, but what can mere men do to us? Do we really need to fear what others think? Isn't all that fretting just wasted time? Are we seeking the favor of men or the favor of God? Eternity is a long time to think about the opportunities we had and the opportunities we stubbornly rejected.

The links below are some of many articles written on this subject. The last two links are written from a Christian world view and one includes a book on the subject.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/02/07/why-do-we-care-what-others-think/
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/why-you-shouldnt-care-what-others-think-about-you/

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/does-it-matter-what-others-think
http://www.ccef.org/blog/do-young-people-worry-about-what-others-think