permission to rest from approval…
Ugh, dearest one, this is a hard one for me. I live and breathe the classic lie: I am what others think of me. Good, bad, or ugly – your opinion of me doesn’t just matter, it’s how I define myself. That’s a tough reality to be faced with, I’ll tell ya that. That’s how I lived so much of my life, consistently, not actually knowing that’s what I was doing.
Until.
Until major burnout and a life-changing victory over the shaky foundation I had built my identity upon. I learned (and continue to learn) a lot of really tough lessons along those lines. Sometimes gentle (from the Lord) and sometimes harsh (from the real world and the devil himself.) The bottom line is that if you live for the approval of others, it’ll never be enough. Never feel like enough. Never actually help you gain true approval, lasting friendships, and deep, healthy relationships.
You are fully approved by you Heavenly Father. Fully. There’s nothing you can say or do to make God love you any more or any less. That’s kind of a shift from showing up for the approval or others. Because I bet there are things you could say out loud to another person that would definitely shift their perspective on you.
And I think it is important to note that you probably don’t care what everyone in the world thinks. But I bet there are a handful or more of people whose opinions of you are really important. Can you list them? I can!
So my encouragement is for you to really take a look at how you’re showing up in your relationships. Are you showing up rested, secure in your identity, or are you puffing up or shrinking back to become the approved version of yourself?
In this episode of the Megaphone Podcast (#4 in our Deeply-Rooted Series) I get pretty honest with you (ahem, myself) about all of these things, even going as far as to admit subconscious manipulation of others to gain approval. Eww. It’s gross, desperate for sure. But through becoming more deeply-rooted in who God has created me to be, I’m on the road to recovery.
Check it out.
And remember, you are so loved. You are so worth fighting for. So valuable. So unique in your one-of-a-kind gifts and talents. So equipped to change your world. Say no to the distraction of chasing the approval of others. It’ll only throw you off course.
xoxo,
Lisa
