Epic Family,

What are the things that you care about the most?

What are the things that you care about the least?

In my own life, there are certain things that I care about a lot and other things that I really don’t care about at all. And this is true for you, too. The problem comes when we care too much about things that shouldn’t be so important and we don’t care enough about those things which should be most significant. Here’s the big idea for today and it’s one I have fallen into before in my life:

It is possible to care too much about what people think of us and not care enough about the people around us.

Do you care too much about what everyone thinks of you?

Do you care too little for everyone around you?

1 Corinthians 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Do you care too much about what people think of you? We are all tempted to care too much about what other people think of us. Knowing what God thought of Paul freed him from becoming obsessed with what everyone else thought about him. Care a ton about people, but don’t care so much about what they think of you.

Will you live for the approval of God or every human being? During The Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7), Jesus taught about how we must choose to either live for God or for other people. He actually said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” We can live either for the applause of earth or the applause of heaven, but we cannot live for both. Let me encourage you to make God’s approval more important than pleasing people.

Invest time each day reading and meditating on who God says you are. This will free you from seeking approval from everyone else. May God free you to be who He says you are and to do what He is calling you to do. And when you no longer care so much about what everyone thinks of you, you’ll be freed up to actually care about them as people.

Much Love,

Ben