What If They’re Wrong About You?
2 Corinthians 6:18 — “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,” says the Lord Almighty.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to let other people’s opinions define you.
Over the years, I’ve been called a flake because I’ve moved around so much. I’ve been told I talk too much and too loud. I’ve even been told I’m not a very good friend because I spend so much time focused on work, exercise, and getting enough sleep.
And sometimes criticism can help us grow. But sometimes, we start carrying labels God never intended for us to wear.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I’d been letting other people’s opinions speak louder than the voice of God.
God doesn’t call me a flake. He calls me His child.
And I didn’t earn that name. He chose to welcome me into His family.
He doesn’t define me by my mistakes, my weaknesses, or someone else’s opinion of me. He calls me His.
The loudest voice in your life will eventually become the truest one in your heart.
So the older I get, the more I realize I need to spend less time listening to what people say about me and more time listening to what God says about me. People see a snapshot. God sees the whole story.
Your identity doesn’t begin with what people say about you.
It begins with what the Father declares.
So when another label tries to stick, I’m learning to ask one simple question: Did that name come from people—or from the Father who calls me His child?
Maybe that’s a question you need to ask today, too.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What label or criticism have you been carrying that may not be God’s definition of you?
- What does it mean to you that God calls you His son or daughter?
- Whose voice has been the loudest in your life lately—and how can you make more room to hear the Father’s voice?
