affected not directed…

the number one fear they say nationally that people have is the fear of speaking in front of other people.  why?  because of the fear of rejection.  speech experts tell you that the way you get rid of the fear of speaking in front of others is to humanize your audience –  put them in their place in other words.  they're just people.  humanize them.  the tips in many books say, “when you’re afraid of a crowd, imagine everybody sitting there in their underwear.”  honestly, as a pastor, i never used that technique.  but i do see the point behind it.  you've got to put people in their place.

i think the bible has a better alternative.  it says, “who are you trying to please, GOD or man?”  i would suggest that the way to overcome the fear of rejection is to live your life for an audience of one. when i walked in as a pastor to speak i would say, “GOD, i'm not doing this for anybody here.  i want to say this for YOU.  i want to present this message as a living sacrifice to YOU for an audience of one.”  that's what it means to overcome the fear of rejection.

romans 8.31 (niv), if GOD is for us, who can be against us?  if you recognize how much GOD is for you, it gives you the ability to withstand tremendous rejection.  can you ever come to the place in your life where you are not affected by the opinions of others?  can you ever come to that point?  my honest answer is no.  i don't think so.  i don't think you can ever come to the point in your life where you're not affected by others' opinions. but i do think you can come to the point in life where you're not directed by others' opinions.  you will always be affected, but you don't have to be directed.  sometimes people will say the meanest things to you.  and it hurts.  but it doesn't direct you.

just a thought from the front porch…