My Opinion on Opinions

What do people commonly say about you? 

What's the one thing you've heard over and over? 

Maybe it's a compliment; perhaps it's not. 

One of the things I commonly hear is that I am confident. 

This used to make me laugh. 

A few years ago, I was anything but confident. 

But I realize that the closer I draw to Christ,

 the more comfortable I become with the way He made me and the gifts He gave me. 

I spent some time recently thinking about this compliment.

Am I really confident? 

And if so, why? 

How? 

After teaching high school girls for several years, it's easy for me to see that confidence is one thing almost every girl struggles with at some point. I even named Hollyn with confidence in mind, hoping that she can somehow avoid the heartache that doubting yourself often brings. 

I don't think I'm perfect or better or worthy. 

In fact, I KNOW I'm none of the above. 

But I do have a little trick that helps me keep things in perspective. 

The truth is, everyone you meet is going to have some sort of opinion of you. 

Some will think good things. 

Some will think bad things. 

But everyone will think something. 

The question then becomes how are you going to let the opinions of others affect you? 

Will you let them define you? 

Will you let them upset you? 

Will you let how others see you determine how you see yourself? 

I've been there. 

I spent many days as that girl, the one who gets torn down and built up based on the opinions of others. 

And then I realized that unless I value someone's opinion, his or her opinion simply doesn't matter. 

If I don't think highly of someone, if he or she doesn't live their life in a way I agree with or as a person I would like to be compared to, then I don't take his or her opinion to heart. 

If I don't value your opinion, then why should I be defined by it? 

So let them say what they will; 

unless you are someone whose opinion I value, then I'm not that worried about your opinion. 

I don't in any way mean for that to sound ugly. 

I'm not being judgmental or snobbish;

I'm just saying that I'm selective about who I am aiming to please. 

In the same sense, if you ARE someone whom I respect, your opinion means the world to me. 

These are the opinions I value; these are the thoughts that matter. 

I can't please everyone. 

No one can. 

So I choose to live in a way that pleases the ones whose opinions I value rather than the ones I don't. 

When I was student teaching in college, one of my professors said that if every student you teach loves you, you are doing something wrong. Not every student will want to work; not everyone will like to be challenged. Therefore, if they all like you, you are making a mistake somewhere along the way. 

I couldn't agree more.