How do you perceive me? What do you think of me, when you see me? Do you like what you see? Do you approve? Do I meet your standards? Would you pick me to be your friend/co-worker/confidant/etc? In your thinking of me, do you admire me or loathe me? Do you think I have it figured out or think I know nothing? Do you respect me or have no use for me?
These are questions that we ask ourselves. More properly perhaps, these are questions, laden with doubt, fear, accusation and falsehood that the devil loves to pose to us, so that we might be defeated, divided and destroyed. So what do we do with other people’s perceptions of ourselves?
Here are few answers that I believe will help you live victoriously and to handle in a Christlike manner the perceptions others have of us.
First, I would like to remind you that other people’s perceptions of us, are in their eye, their mind, from the their perspective and limited by their own abilities/inabilities. Each and every person on the face of the earth sees things from a limited perspective. We are all short-sighted. We simply cannot see the big picture, neither can we see the heart of a man. As God’s Word reminds us, people look on the outside, but God knows what lies within. The person with the greatest wisdom, vision and “discernment” in the whole world, will not perceive others perfectly, unless he or she sees with the eyes of God and discerns with heart/mind/Spirit of God.
Second, I would like to prompt you to realize that most often we are not so concerned with what other people’s perceptions actually are, but instead only what we perceive them to be. In other words, I don’t really know what your perceptions are, but I take a stab in the dark, based on my limited perspective and understanding at what your limited perspective and understanding is telling you about me. This is pretty convoluted, huh? Let me take this a step further. Since the Devil is the father of all lies, he loves to convince us of things that simply aren’t true. The devil loves to tell us that “so and so is ________” and “so and so is ________”. He likes to take it even further because he is not only a liar but also an author of confusion and as such the Devil would love to convince you that “so and so hates you”, “so and so thinks that you are ________”. How can we really get anywhere if we are caught in a cyclical pattern of “I think” and “I am pretty sure” that is based solely on our limitations, influenced by the great Deceiver and which plays only to our own pride (whether our pride manifests in insecurity or arrogance)
So what in the world should we do with other people’s perceptions of us? Simply this: forget about it. Don’t bother yourself with it. It only get’s you into petty games of self-promotion and outward posturing and masquerading. Instead, be who God calls you to be. Do everything as unto the Lord, not men. Whatever you do it all for the glory of God. Do everything in this life based on the Word of God and the direction/revelation of His Holy Spirit. After all it is appointed to all of us to live once and then to die and stand before God. We will not stand before a jury of our peers who will cast votes based on whether they liked us or not. Instead the Lord God will simply want to know whether we have believed on and accepted His Son as Savior of our lives and if we lived in loving, surrendered obedience to Him. Stop thinking about what others are thinking about you. Instead think on the things of God. Think about how to share His love and His gospel. Hide His Word in your heart so that you won’t sin and so that you won’t stumble. In the next post I will talk about what to do with other people’s expectations, but for now, simply remember to accept not what others say about you, but instead what God says about you. And God says, you are valuable in His sight, that He knew you before you were born, that He shaped and formed you. God says that you are His beloved. Remember after all, His thoughts and words are the only ones that matter!
Pastor Michael Johnson 