It was a rainy Saturday morning when I was awakened early by a thunderstorm. Because of the storm, I knew I wouldn’t be falling back to sleep so I ended up laying in bed for a while pondering life. I had a lot on my mind as some major life changes were around the corner that were forcing me to wrestle with some repeated fears and insecurities. 

Proverbs 11:14 tells us that “where there is no guidance, a people falls but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” While I was pondering life that morning, the Lord brought a lot of clarity in my heart as I reflected on a few conversations I had recently had with friends. God is so kind to give us friends who will speak truth in love when we need it the most. When we are willing to listen, He will often guide us through the godly counsel of people near and dear to us.

I am so guilty of comparing my life with other people’s lives and worrying too much about people’s perceptions of me. I compare the race God has set before me with other people’s races, and when it doesn’t fit the regular “mold” I get upset. The Lord graciously revealed the idol of my heart: the desire to be well thought of.

So while we can care too much what people think, there is also great wisdom and blessing from receiving counsel from the trusted people in our life. Yet the opinion of God must remain our highest consideration.

At church we’ve been talking about this verse lately and it has become such an anchor for me in this season: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deuteronomy 10:12)

I love how this verse simplifies so much of what I’ve been wrestling with. My life doesn’t have to fit the norms and I don’t have to let the fear of what people think of me rule my life. God has given all of us different giftings, callings and circumstances; and that is a beautiful and freeing reality! For all of us our present duty is to seek to love and serve the Lord with all of our heart with whatever is in front of us.  For me, I know writing is one of the things God has set before me. I want to write to the best of my ability because Jesus is precious to me and above all else, I want to honor Him. Because of this, my fears about what people think of me become irrelevant.

By the grace of God, may we all be faithful to the roles God sets before us. They are all valuable when they are done with a desire to serve the Lord.  May we also have hearts that are willing to receive wise counsel, for it can give much-needed direction as we seek to follow the Lord.