A major part of any philosophy deals with who we are as individuals. Existentialism says that your actions define your identity, whereas New Age philosophy basically says that your identity is whatever you perceive it to be. However, I believe most humans find their identity in something else: other people. It's a common thing for us to do--especially teenagers. We view ourself the way other people perceive us.
How does this mindset affect us? Firstly, it affects how we act. We tend to tailor our actions in such a way that others will be pleased. We try to figure out what other people are thinking about us, and make sure that our actions will help us gain acceptance. Why do we do this? Because we see ourselves the way other people see us. If someone is displeased with us, something must be wrong with us. We want feel like we are significant, and we tend to find that significance in other people's perceptions of us.
Secondly, if we feel like others are displeased with us, we get all bent out of shape. We get frustrated or sad or angry if someone doesn't like what we did, or if that person doesn't think well of us. It tears us up because our identity and our significance are found in what that person thinks about us.
Does this hit home with you? It sure hits home with me. Many times I come home from a social event all bummed out because I felt like someone or some people don't think well of me. This is so wrong!
If our identity is actually found in other people's perception of us, then we should try to act in such a way that we will be liked. We should get bummed out when someone doesn't think well of us. But our identity isn't found in other people! Our identity is found in Christ. What does that mean? It means that "you have been crucified with Christ and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. The life you live in the body, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave himself for you." (Gal 2:20). Christ lives in you. You were crucified with Him and raised with Him. Because of this, you are now a child of God. Who gives a flip what other people think about you?! You are a child of God because of what Christ did for you. You are now His, and He loves you very, very much. He is pleased with you. That should be enough.
Many times we are so focused on the temporal. We focus on what people here on earth think of us. However, we're told to "set our minds on things above." (Col. 3:2). We shouldn't be concerned about other people's perception of us. Instead, we should be focused on how God views us. God's view of us is so much more important than man's view. And guess what? God loves you and He's pleased with you because you are in Christ. Your identity is directly linked with Christ, not with other people. You are significant because you are a child of God, not because other people like you.
Let's sum up. It's so hard not to focus on how other people think of us. However, it is so important to remember that our identity and significance aren't caught up in other people. It isn't caught up in our actions either. Our identity is found in being a child of God. And God is loves His children very, very much.
How does this mindset affect us? Firstly, it affects how we act. We tend to tailor our actions in such a way that others will be pleased. We try to figure out what other people are thinking about us, and make sure that our actions will help us gain acceptance. Why do we do this? Because we see ourselves the way other people see us. If someone is displeased with us, something must be wrong with us. We want feel like we are significant, and we tend to find that significance in other people's perceptions of us.
Secondly, if we feel like others are displeased with us, we get all bent out of shape. We get frustrated or sad or angry if someone doesn't like what we did, or if that person doesn't think well of us. It tears us up because our identity and our significance are found in what that person thinks about us.
Does this hit home with you? It sure hits home with me. Many times I come home from a social event all bummed out because I felt like someone or some people don't think well of me. This is so wrong!
If our identity is actually found in other people's perception of us, then we should try to act in such a way that we will be liked. We should get bummed out when someone doesn't think well of us. But our identity isn't found in other people! Our identity is found in Christ. What does that mean? It means that "you have been crucified with Christ and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. The life you live in the body, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave himself for you." (Gal 2:20). Christ lives in you. You were crucified with Him and raised with Him. Because of this, you are now a child of God. Who gives a flip what other people think about you?! You are a child of God because of what Christ did for you. You are now His, and He loves you very, very much. He is pleased with you. That should be enough.
Many times we are so focused on the temporal. We focus on what people here on earth think of us. However, we're told to "set our minds on things above." (Col. 3:2). We shouldn't be concerned about other people's perception of us. Instead, we should be focused on how God views us. God's view of us is so much more important than man's view. And guess what? God loves you and He's pleased with you because you are in Christ. Your identity is directly linked with Christ, not with other people. You are significant because you are a child of God, not because other people like you.
Let's sum up. It's so hard not to focus on how other people think of us. However, it is so important to remember that our identity and significance aren't caught up in other people. It isn't caught up in our actions either. Our identity is found in being a child of God. And God is loves His children very, very much.
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