Alan had a rough time starting third grade. He was in a new school building, mixed in with some new kids, and for a while it was a daily battle to get out the door in the morning. He was intimidated (okay, bullied) by a couple of boys and bought into everything they said, especially what they said about him.
We tried to remind him that he could choose how he responded, that no matter what those boys said, we knew the truth. Some days it helped. Other days… not so much. Even as I tried to help him out, I was faced with my own question. How often do I let someone (whose opinion shouldn’t matter anyway) have control over my attitude and my day? Way, way too often.
What seemed to make the difference with Alan was when he heard all these things from Jon. They worked out a way to deal with the daily aggravation, with the key factor being spending some time with Dad in the morning before school.
Fact is, the opinions that do count are held by the people who love me, and God is the top of the list. He loves me with an everlasting love. He chose me and He’s going to show me His riches in glory because of Jesus Christ.
Bottom line- It shouldn’t matter what anybody else thinks cause my Daddy loves me.