Opinion matters, but not that much

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. (Proverbs 29:25 MSG)

Human opinion can be crippling at times - especially when we care deeply about something and then encounter very boisterous opinions to the contrary. God isn't concerned about what 'opinion' someone holds - he cares about what one's heart holds. We can have all the world's opinions about a topic put out there on the table and find that some are very close to others, but there will be a wide variety of opinion even for those who say they hold similar opinions! God's commandments aren't opinions - so they don't change and they don't vary from day to day or circumstance to circumstance. If we always keep that in mind, we will look to his commands to formulate our plan for living rather than human opinion.

If you have ever been 'put down' for a choice you have made or an 'opinion' you held, you know how emotionally debilitating that has the potential of becoming - especially if that 'put down' comes from someone we admire or is in a position of authority. The inner conflict brought on by that 'put down' can crush a human spirit. Looking to another for validation of our held beliefs is not always going to turn out the way we want it to - sometimes we will encounter conflicting ideals and 'human opinion'. Whenever this happens, we have a couple of choices: stand firm in our beliefs, or bend to the opinion of another. If our beliefs are solidly placed in God's commands and his faithfulness to those who serve him, we will be less likely to bend to that emotional conflict.

Human opinion has been given too much leeway in society today. We lean toward the 'popular' thing - fads, trends, positive reviews on social media. We tend to be swayed by opinion, but we lose ourselves so many times when we are just following the trends. God's plan? Romans 12:2 lays that out nicely for us: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. (MSG) The one who desires to be firm in their footing, no longer swayed by human opinion and popular trends/fads will 'fix their attention on God'. We might be paying far too much attention to human opinion and need to refocus our attention on God - the only place where we will find 'immovable footing'.

Trust God with the direction for your life rather than human opinion and you will be assured your ways will be secure. Follow human opinion and you will live a much more up and down life. Just sayin!