Who Cares What Others Think?

"Stop trusting in mere humans, 

   who have but a breath in their nostrils. 

   Why hold them in esteem?"

Isaiah 2:22

How often to we neglect our relationship with God because of others? How often do we doubt our faith because someone says something that causes us to second guess our beliefs? 

I know that I am guilty of putting too much power in the hands of people. My entire day is made or destroyed by those around me. My faith can falter because of something someone says. My quiet time with God gets postponed or forgotten because I have an "important" appointment with my Facebook friends. 

Yes, people are important. Yes, God has called us to love others and has created us to be social beings. However, our first and foremost priority is to Him. If we trust God and cultivate our relationship with Him first, we will gain wisdom and clarity in our relationships with others. Suddenly we'll know how to love others, who to trust, and who to walk away from. Without trusting God first we'll be forever being tossed to and fro in our faith, relationships, and self-esteem. 

We don't need the approval of others. Our faith doesn't need the approval of others. We need to be secure enough in our relationship with God that we can stand firm and not be shaken by the latest opinion, "fact", or theory.