The best part about making this major life-change is that God is eager to help you every step of the way. He doesn't want you to live a shrunken, unhappy life. He wants you to thrive! If you haven't been thriving as a single up to now, it's time you accepted the truth that you escape these negative feelings. You can get out from under the lie that what others think is necessary for you to live a contented, fulfilled life.Let's begin with an empowering truth: Most people are extremely self-centered. You can prove that's true by looking at yourself. If you were to keep track of all the hundreds of thoughts you have on a typical day, the vast majority of them, perhaps 90 percent, would be about yourself. "How am I going to...?" "What did he think of me when I...?" "I wonder if made her angry when ...?" Get the picture? Much of our thought-life is filled with "I's" and "me's". That's just the way we are.
But here's the good part about that truth: Other people are the same way! They're not as concerned about you as you think. They're mostly concerned about themselves. We put way too much emphasis on what others think about us. Like you, when they are thinking about other people, it's mainly in relation to themselves. This knowledge can be a major tool in helping you break the cycle of approval addiction.
Suddenly you understand that the approval of others isn't as important as you once thought, because they may be trying to manipulate you to make themselves feel more powerful or in control. You realize that you don't have to give them that authority over you.
Yes, we have to meet our employer's expectations, and yes, we do have to honor our father and mother--as long as that does not involve disobeying God.
But your completeness, your contentment doesn't depend on the approval of others. It depends, instead, on your acceptance by God.
God is eager to help you
The best part about making this major life-change is that God is eager to help you every step of the way. He doesn't want you to live a shrunken, unhappy life. He wants you to thrive!
If you haven't been thriving as a single up to now, it's time you accepted the truth that you can escape these negative feelings. You can get out from under the lie that what others think is necessary for you to live a contented, fulfilled life.
Let's begin with an empowering truth:
Most people are extremely self-centered.
You can prove that's true by looking at yourself. If you were to keep track of all the hundreds of thoughts you have on a typical day, the vast majority of them, perhaps 90 percent, would be about yourself. "How am I going to...?" "What did he think of me when I...?" "I wonder if I made her angry when I...?"
Get the picture? Much of our thought-life is filled with "I's" and "me's". That's just the way we are.
But here's the good part about that truth: Other people are the same way! They're not as concerned about you as you think. They're mostly concerned about themselves. We put way too much emphasis on what others think about us. Like you, when they are thinking about other people, it's mainly in relation to themselves. This knowledge can be a major tool in helping you break the cycle of approval addiction.
Suddenly you understand that the approval of others isn't as important as you once thought, because they may be trying to manipulate you to make themselves feel more powerful or in control. You realize that you don't have to give them that authority over you.
Yes, we have to meet our employer's expectations, and yes, we do have to honor our father and mother--as long as that does not involve disobeying God.
But your completeness, your contentment doesn't depend on the approval of others. It depends, instead, on your acceptance by God.
Accepted and approved by God
When you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior, you gain his approval and acceptance. You become one of God's adopted children. God gave his people the Ten Commandments, and our obedience of those laws is pleasing to him. We all fail from time to time. Your sins are unacceptable to God, but you are accepted.
See the difference? Our acceptance by God is through the sacrifice and grace of Jesus Christ, not through our performance. We cannot become acceptable or gain salvation by works.
As a believer, you have God's approval While the approval of other people might be reassuring or desirable, it is not necessary for your completeness.
You will gain a sense of strength and fulfillment when you obey God. God loves your obedience. And the more you love God, the more you will want to obey him. Obeying God can often lead to the approval of people, but we don't obey God because we're worried about what others think. We obey God out of love and gratitude for him and for Jesus' sacrifice for us.
When we choose to imitate Jesus, we spend less and less time trying to influence what others think, and more time rejoicing over our approval and acceptance by God.
As you follow Christ and walk in his ways, your confidence grows. The Holy Spirit convicts you of God's love for you. You come to see that staying faithful to God is what matters. The approval of others may come and go, but God's love is solid, unconditional, and everlasting.
