Psychologically, did you know that most people have a belief system that someone else gave them? In other words, they were programmed in such a way, good or bad, that as they grow, they just practice other peoples’ personal convictions (I could give you a list) out of habit and because of what others will think about them. Most decisions people make are made based upon if someone you know “heard” or “found out.” We need to drill down into what we believe, personally, and what God has already written to US, and ask ourselves WHY we believe and behave the way we do, and then go out and make decisions that track with His plan; no one else’s! It doesn’t matter what people (Only God) think! They don’t think about you the way you perceive them to, anyway! They’re living their lives. They haven’t thought of you in months. Most of what you would call friends in the ministry, for example, are not friends……..they’re acquaintances, just like in the corporate world. If you don’t think so, you are in gross denial. It’s just an invisible perception that they are peering over your shoulder all the time and that they really “care” about you. They don’t! The only forever-friends you and I have can be counted on half-a-hand.
I know pastors and believers that act, preach, and lead exactly like they were taught out of the textbook or the mentor classroom…….they don’t think for themselves, speak for who they are, or lead based on the innards of their being. They’re not being TRUE to themselves. I’ve been guilty of this myself. This is where mentoring and teaching can hurt a person: They never filter what they learn down through the DNA matrix of who they are made to be-think-lead-create, thereby, resulting in an eventual crash of productivity. On top of that, we become an expert in the “plastics” industry.
As an old, wise gentlemen once told me, your best and most productive work will happen between 40 and 60. So, here’s my challenge: Why don’t you take some time to reinvent yourself, the real YOU, and come back to the calling of your life with more gusto than you’ve ever experienced in your life? Think for yourself, dream for yourself, create for yourself, speak based on your own giftedness, reach out and into places God leads you regardless if it means walking in a liquor store to do servant evangelism…..stop the concern for what people will think about you.
Last caveat- there’s a lot of trust and responsibility that God requires of you, WHEN, He reveals these things to you.
