{"id":787197,"date":"2013-02-06T07:13:30","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T07:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/?p=787197"},"modified":"2013-05-10T17:19:13","modified_gmt":"2013-05-10T17:19:13","slug":"stop-caring-about-what-other-people-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2013\/02\/06\/stop-caring-about-what-other-people-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Caring About What Other People Think…"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Stop caring about what other people think and start thinking about caring for other people…”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I saw this somewhere recently and it really stuck with me. \u00a0How many times have I scrutinized myself over the years over my figure, hairstyle, makeup application, clothing before a social function…How many times have I stressed over how my \u00a0beliefs and lifestyle (including homeschool) choices would appear to others?<\/p>\n

Now that I am 40-something, here are a few things I have learned over the years:<\/p>\n

1) Don’t focus on looking good; focus on being healthy.<\/strong> \u00a0How I wish I could have embraced this truth back in my teens! \u00a0All the wasted energy of trying to look good and never measuring up! \u00a0Society seeks to tear us down and focus on what’s wrong,(ever watch those “entertainment” shows that pick apart celebrities? \u00a0Do you ever find yourself in social situations where the same is being done with your peers?) but I am “fearfully and wonderfully made<\/em>” (Ps. 139:14), by a Creator who counts every hair on my head. (<\/em>Luke 12:7). \u00a0<\/em>If I believe this, I will then believe that I am physically created exactly as God intended. \u00a0Who am I to disrespect His creation? \u00a0This does not mean that I am going to stop trying to look good, but I am going to stop using the world as my guide. \u00a0My main focus turns to making wise choices to care for the body God gave me. \u00a0Of course, I still enjoy getting my hair and nails done, etc., but it’s a minor consideration versus the main focus of wise choices for health, and building inner character according to God’s will and not my own or the world’s.
\n1 Samuel 16:7<\/strong> “But the\u00a0Lord\u00a0said to Samuel, \u201cDo not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the\u00a0Lord\u00a0sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the\u00a0Lord\u00a0looks on the heart.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>Health naturally looks good anyway.<\/p>\n

2) My Style is My<\/em> Style. \u00a0<\/strong>I have a friend who has the coolest, most unique sense of style. \u00a0She creates much of her clothing and you will never see the same item on anyone else. \u00a0I joke that she is my ‘alter-ego’. \u00a0She wears what I am too afraid to. \u00a0I just know I could not pull off what she so beautifully can. \u00a0But, she has inspired me to be a little more creative with how I put myself together. \u00a0To seek items that make me smile and wear them without worrying about what others think. \u00a0I am a hat person, but used to not wear them much. \u00a0I am challenging myself to incorporate them more into my daily wardrobe, as a way to define my<\/em> style. \u00a0I am also going to take sewing classes this year and look forward to tapping into that creative element.<\/p>\n

3) Actions that Glorify God, Not Myself or Others. \u00a0<\/strong>Through the years, I have tended toward being a “people-pleaser”. \u00a0I love getting positive affirmations from others. \u00a0Really, who doesn’t? \u00a0But, I have had to learn to shift my thoughts and actions toward glorifying God, and God alone. \u00a0I used to rush into service opportunities for the recognition. \u00a0Now, before I agree to something, I process the action through this filter: Does it bring God glory? \u00a0How will it affect my family and home life? \u00a0Is this something God wants me to do, or is this one more “good” thing that may not be meant for me?<\/p>\n

4) Stop Over-analzying. \u00a0<\/strong>Song lyrics,“turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” <\/em>(see video here)<\/a>. \u00a0When we keep our focus on Jesus, we can stop worrying about what other people think. \u00a0When we focus on Him, and His will for us, His glory and grace \u00a0causes everything else to become strangely dim. \u00a0If we look up, there’s no need to look around for our identity or our validation. \u00a0The only time we need to look around is to find others and to point up and share with them the wonderful face of Jesus Christ.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

5) Forgive Yourself and Others. \u00a0<\/strong>When we bear a grudge, the bitterness and resentment eats away at our core. \u00a0The grudge hurts us more than it hurts the one it’s intended for. \u00a0When we forgive, we are free from the bitterness and resentment. \u00a0Confessing our sins and laying them at the feet of Jesus, (what He calls us to do), we can leave them there and start anew. \u00a0Because the sins are at the cross, they no longer need to be strapped to your back and carried around, a constant reminder of the past. \u00a0Because you are forgiven by Jesus, you no longer have to worry about what other people think. \u00a0There is only one opinion that matters.<\/p>\n

…and start thinking about caring for other people…<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

that’s a whole new blog post.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Stop caring about what other people think and start thinking about caring for other people…” I saw this somewhere recently and it really stuck with me. \u00a0How many times have I scrutinized myself over the years over my figure, hairstyle, makeup application, clothing before a social function…How many times have I stressed over how my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-787197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787197"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787203,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787197\/revisions\/787203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}