“Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what’s right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others.”
Galatians 6:4 TPT
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I am still learning how to do this.
Lord, let my joy be in being myself and doing what is right.
If my joy is based in whether or not I get affirmed by other people, I will live a life of instability (double minded). The affirmation of others is unstable at best; it can change from one moment to the next.
Social media has amazing advantages, but also has highlighted the distorted prioritization of others’ affirmations of us. How many Instagram likes did I get on my post? I see someone else’s pictures or videos and feel left out? Or feel like my life isn’t measuring up to the standard displayed through my friends timelines? This pursuit of “likes”, whether digital or tangible, can cause us to overextend, overspend, overreact, overcompensate, and undervalue who we are and the assignment God has given us.
Each of us have a specific assignment from God. With that assignment comes a correlating investment from God. We have a responsibility to double the initial investment in order to effectively complete the assignment. I can not effectively double God’s investment in myself individually if I’m comparing what I have (or don’t have) to someone else. There are going to be people who have a broader scope than me, and who garner a more amplified response in areas as well. But I cannot misappropriate the investment I am stewarding in the name of trying to complete THEIR assignment so I can get THEIR approval.
Even further, the goal is not even striving for the approval of God. He approved us already through the blood of His son Jesus before we have even done anything for Him. His investment in us came before we even fell in love with him. Because we are already approved by God, we are empowered to do our absolute best with what He’s given us—simply because He’s given it to us.
I want to encourage you as I encourage myself. God loves you, He likes you, and He trusts you. Let that catalyze your investments in your career, your creativity, and your relational community.
— Leonard (President/Founder: WTRWAY)
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