One ‘Very Little’ Action You Can Take Today to End Your Need for Approval (November to Remember — 11.29.2014)
NOTE TO READERS FOLLOWING ALONG WITH OUR NOVEMBER SCRIPTURE SERIES:
Our assigned Scripture comes from Psalm 139:16-18. But today I’m interrupting the schedule to consider some verses that are foundational for how we can Live PreApproved.
“As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:3
One Very Little Action You Can Take Today to End Your Need for Approval
Paul wrote that the opinion of others was not only a little thing but a very little thing.
“As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:3
A “very little” thing for Paul can become a very little thing for us, every day.
Say it out loud with me: “It matters very little how I might be evaluated.”
That’s the sound of freedom there.
If we are criticized today, what does it mean? Very little.
If someone challenges our parenting today, what does it mean? Very little.
If someone corrects us, disagrees with us, or talks poorly of us to others, what does it mean? Very little.
And this: If someone endorses us, applauds our work, affirms our parenting, or offers us praise, what does it mean? Very little.
Oh. Yes.
When we no longer rely on praise or approval, we find new freedom: We can enjoy affirmation without craving it. We are neither addicted to praise, nor deflated by criticism. Because what does the opinion of humankind mean?
Yeah. Very little.
Portions of this post were taken from LOVE IDOL, by Jennifer Dukes Lee. Copyright © 2014. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
This post is part of our month-long series, “A November to Remember: Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes.
How You Can Be a Part of This Movement:
1 – Print out the Scripture sheets. (Click here for printable versions.) Each of the 30 daily Scriptures are quoted in Love Idol, and each one ties back in some way to our identity in Christ. (You don’t have to read the book to participate in this study. But of course, you’re welcome to!
2 – Find the passage assigned for today’s date.
3 – Consider how God is speaking to you. How does the verse help you remember who you really are, outside of all the cultural noise?
4 – Visit us on the blog, or the Love Idol movement page on Facebook, to share what the verse means to you.
5 – Share your insights on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or your blog, to add more soul to your scroll. #MoreSoulLessScroll
I’ll post my own response here on the blog every morning at 5 a.m. Sometimes, you’ll find a story, maybe a few short words, maybe a series of photos. That will happen every day, for all of November, God-willing.
Follow Along
If you want to follow along, visit us here every day. Consider subscribing to my blog by clicking here to get these reflections in your email inbox.
The Printables
(Download for printing from Google Drive)
Let this be the November that we remember who we really are: Loved. Preapproved. His.
Find all the posts in the November to Remember series by clicking here.
About those specific examples of times when we give too much worth to approval/disapproval: You certainly highlighted my buttons! I’m praying as I type that God will remind me–either one, approval or disapproval, mean very little. May I keep perspective on the truth of God’s Word and the hope that in all things Christ would be exalted. Thank you, again, Jennifer, for another very meaningful post.
P.S. I keep meaning to ask you if that little boy named Steve in Haiti has been reunited with his father yet. I’ve been praying!