Wednesday, June 16, 2010

What Will They Think?

Nearly every human being is enslaved, ruled over, and dominated by..... a question? Yes, a question. You probably thought I was going to say sin, and yes, sin does enslave us, but I want to focus on something more specific that rules over us, and that is a question.

At one time or another each of us has wondered what someone might think of us, whether or not someone might like us, or something else. "What will they think if I wear a shirt with a cross on it?" "What will she think if she sees me with them?" "What will they think if I join the choir?" "What will they think...?" These four words with a question mark at the end of them have enslaved us, ruled over us, and dominated us. They rule our actions, they often rule our words, and of course they dictate our thoughts each and every day.

Though, while we often ask ourselves this question, we seldom proceed to answer it. "What will they think...?" Well, if we really thought about it, and answered ourselves honestly the only answer we could produce is, "I don't know." No matter how long we think about it, ponder it, or otherwise agonize over the question, the answer remains the same. Why on earth do we allow a question with no answer to dictate the major portion of our lives?

Well, the simple answer to that question is that we shouldn't, and the only way we can change that is by changing the question. Instead of, "What will they think...?" it should be, "What will He think...?" And yes, that is He with a capital 'H'. Our focus should not be what others think of us, but what Jesus Christ, our Saviour, thinks of us. This question does indeed have an answer, an answer that is found in the living and active Word of God. His word says, "Thou shalt not murder." Therefore we know exactly what He thinks about murder, and that is just one of countless examples. We have been given His word as a guide by which to live our daily lives, a book of answers to the question, "What will He think...?," and instead we exchange it for an answer like, "I don't know."

But lest you think I am making a big deal out of nothing let me direct you to Proverbs 31:30. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Our first question, "What will they think...?" often results in vain beauty and false charm as we attempt to make people think better of us. The Word of God clearly shows in this verse that these things should not be present in our lives, and are not praiseworthy. So we see that this is important, and we ought to ask ourselves which question we allow to rule our lives.

May we fear the Lord, allowing the question, "What will He think...?" rule our lives, and dictate our actions. And may we not be dominated by a question that does not even have an answer.

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