"Because People Judge You By Your Friends"

Christmas shopping has begun, and I'm amazed how heavily marketers rely on the fact that people care what others think of them. I saw one billboard for an upscale clothing store with a slogan that said something to the effect of "Because people judge you by your friends," and it had a picture of a beautiful socialite dressed 'to the nines' surrounded by other beautiful socialites. The industry's marketing scheme is focused on selling an image, in other words, how others see you. It seems that if people are convinced that buying a certain product will elevate them in other's eyes, it's a guaranteed sell.

While it is true that our dress and the things we own should be a testimony to what we believe, how much should a person be concerned with how others view them? It seems there is something in our human nature that craves acceptance, approval and security from other people whether it be our parents, our spouse, our friends, our peer group, our co-workers or even complete strangers.

The problem is that when other's opinions of us become a deciding factor in how we live and what we do, it is giving them more power and more credit than they should have. We often act as if other people have the ability to give or take away ultimate happiness, and we make a god out of mere humans. When our mind is consumed with what others think of us, God seems very small, and we somehow end up fearing man more than we fear God.

We may not be a fearful or timid person by nature, in fact, we may be very outgoing and confident, but "fear of man" does not have so much to do with personality type as it does with how much we let other people control us. Are we elated when someone we respect speaks highly of us? Do we feel better about ourselves when we receive respect and admiration? Are we hurt, angry or defensive when someone disagrees with us or thinks badly of us? Do our degrees and credentials make us feel more secure? Have we ever felt embarrassed to evangelize, even to a complete stranger? Isn't it true that this is nothing other than "fear of man?"

Fearing man can be so subtle in our lives, and yet the sin of idolatry is no small matter. God alone should be consuming our thoughts.