Speaking to another lady at church on Sunday, I reiterated how simplistic the male mind is, meaning most men do not care what others think. Men are perfectly happy with a snack, a nap, a hug, and the TV remote to watch some sports. They deal logically and methodically with day-to-day problems. Thank goodness for the great men who God has put in leadership over us!
In stark contrast to men, how complicated our womanly minds are! We ladies are multi-layered, emotionally driven, and hard to figure out. We are much quicker to judge and mentally analyze another lady, starting with our personal feelings about her choice in clothing and ending with the expression worn on her face.
“Are they talking about me?”
“What did they say about me?”
“Why did they say that about me?”
I wish that each of these questions were only asked by insecure, teenage girls, but sadly, these are thoughts every lady thinks from about the age of four until the grave. We spend too much time worrying about what others think of us and wondering if they are talking about us. We speculate as to why they would think certain things about us.
Sometimes people, even Christians, can be cruel and malicious. Believe me, I have been lied about by others, and there is nothing more hurtful and heartbreaking. There have been people in whom I have invested and for whom I prayed that later were found out to have said terrible and untrue things about me. It is a fact that we all will have people come and go throughout our lives who will not say nice things about us.
Regardless, wondering what is being said of us and then feeling the need to defend ourselves is totally carnal. I am not saying that others smearing another person’s name through the mud is acceptable. However, as Christians, we are not to live in such a way that we feel we must figure out the status of our reputations and go around fixing them everywhere.
Winston Churchill said, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”
I have seen my pastor go head-to-head with Satan in the last decade. I have witnessed people who proclaimed their loyalty to him as church members and friends become the most evil-driven enemies a person could have. I have been shocked and heartbroken over the people who said they loved him and the church who then turned around and tried to destroy his family and his ministry. Through it all, I have noticed one key element: He lets God handle his reputation. He just continues with what God has given him to do and does not try to kowtow to the mob. He does not get on social media and try to defend his name or debunk the lies of evil people. He just pastors his people and walks with God.
In Philippians 2:5-7, God reminds us how Jesus handled false perceptions and slanderous talk. It reads, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Not only are we to keep the mind of Christ (Who did not defend Himself, even on the cross) but we also are to make ourselves …of no reputation,… If Jesus had spent His years of ministry going from town to town debunking all of the fake news about Himself, imagine how many miracles might not have happened? How differently our Gospels would have read today! Those malicious Pharisees always tried to box Him into a corner. They wanted so desperately to see Him mess up and fail at His work on earth, yet He was always focused on those who wanted His help and not on those who sought to destroy His name.
Some days, I fail at staying focused on God and not on the naysayers, but I am grateful when the sun comes up the next day and God gives me another chance to be the best I can be in His service. I cannot let my growth in Christ be stunted by constantly worrying about what others think. My salvation did not come through others but through the Lord Jesus Christ. I would rather be …of no reputation,… myself so that I can make it all about Christ.
My friend, the dogs will bark. Do not be tempted to veer off from the path to throw stones at them. We simply are to focus on the path that God has set before us. Let them say what they will. Just let those dogs bark, and let us keep moving forward, living for and serving our Saviour!
by Tracie S. Burns
Great devotional!