As I get more chronologically challenged [PC for getting older] I am discovering that life is a lot about balance. Hobbies are great but they must be balanced with work and family responsibilities. My doctor once told me it isn’t so much what you eat but rather how much you eat. One slice of pizza [may be two] is fine but not four or five = balance.
Sometimes a person will say that the Bible is full of contradictions. They quote one verse and then quote another which seems to contradict the first. Allow me to give you an example.
We should not care what others think of us. Proverbs 29:25 “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.” From an early age we work to get approval, whether it was proving to our parents that we could ride a bike without training wheels, or taking our first step—caring what other people think seems evitable. We need to get to the point where we don’t care what the media says, how colleagues feel about us, or live in a state of constant fear or agony of what others think. Do not allow others opinion of you dictate how you live.
We need to care what others think. On the other hand, Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold. If we’re not careful, our effort to not care about what others think can subtly turn into not caring about anyone. John Maxwell said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” When people know that you care about them, you will have a platform to share the Gospel. We must go out of our way to present ourselves in the best light possible, not because we are people pleasers but because we are God pleasers.
The bottom line is balance.
- Don’t allow people’s opinion of you put you in an emotional, spiritual straight jacket.
- Live in such a manner that people know that a genuinely care about them.