Isaiah 51:7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.”

This is extremely important, yet extremely difficult for some people. It tends to depend on personality and on how we are raised, but we all depend on other people’s opinions of us rather too much. We aren’t to be totally self-centered, uncaring what anyone thinks, but really, the only opinion of us that really matters is God’s. We should definitely be focused on pleasing Him, but other people, not so much. For most people, this issue kicks into overdrive around puberty, when we and our response to the world around us are changing at a great rate. Anxiety and uncertainty at this point are almost a rite of passage, but some people seem to get stuck in that mind frame. If we focus on our Creator and store His Word up in our hearts, we are far better insulated against such pressures than those who don’t know God. In this verse God is addressing those who do know Him, who have taken in His Word not just as information but as spiritual nourishment. To them He says, “Relax! You’ve got nothing to worry about.” We will indeed encounter difficulties for as long as we live on this earth, (John 16:33) and some of those difficulties will come directly from people who oppose us, but God is reminding us that He’s got us, and as He says in the next verse, He is forever.

I have not been immune to the opinions of others, but I have generally had a degree of self-assurance that has carried me through. Sometimes that self-assurance has veered into conceit, and that’s never good. The longer I’ve walked with God, however, the more peace I have gained. Just yesterday I ran across a video on YouTube that is about “9 Things to Let Go of Once You Hit 70,” or something of the sort. One of the things mentioned is the opinions of others. I do want people to think well of me, but that’s particularly because for many people I am a representative of God, or at least of Christian faith. How they see me influences how they respond to the Gospel, so I want that to be as favorable as possible. Other than that, however, I really don’t care much. I know full well that I am fallible and foolish, and I don’t mind admitting it. My focus is on my Lord, who loved me enough to die for me, and I want others to know Him too.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the assurance of Your love, that far outweighs any negative opinion anyone could have of me. May I respond to Your love in full gratitude and obedience, so that those who see me may know that You love them, too, and so open their heart to You in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!