Go ahead. Join me in announcing to all who will
listen that you are worthwhile. In fact, tell them that you will not allow
them to define you by their narrow earthly parameters of “success”. You might
not be a Bill Gates or a J. K. Rowling; but then, neither were
they--at first. It’s fairly common knowledge that Bill Gates started Microsoft
in a garage and J. K. Rowling was on government assistance (welfare) when she
first envisioned Harry Potter.
So, you’re
not rich and famous? So what?! Are all prominent people happy? Are all
prominent people worthy of your respect? Absolutely not! The people whose opinions
you should treasure are those who know how to treat people right.
Paul, the Apostle
Paul was not
concerned about his image. In I Corinthians 4:3-4 he states: “But with me it is
a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man’s judgment: yea, I
judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself yet I am not hereby
justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.”
Paul knew
that man’s judgment could be blind, based on superficial worldly labels. He
recognized that there are many individuals who walk around with metaphorical
blinders similar to the man in the image above. He wasn’t going to concern
himself with the opinions of such misguided people.
You Can’t get a PhD. In Common Sense.
Frankly
speaking, my life experience is worth a lot. I have been through more in my
lifetime than some people who are twice my age. I have a lot of common sense. I
didn’t learn it in a classroom. I learned it at the School of Hard Knocks. My
common sense has saved me from many traumatic situations, but it hasn’t made me
much money…YET.
Google+
Some people
don’t respect life experience. They don’t realize how invaluable it is. They
prefer to listen only to people who have learned in the classroom and have money.
This is a huge mistake. I have met
many “learned”, or “rich”, people who are not wealthy in any knowledge or “currency”
that really matters.
Since I don’t
have a lot of money, or letters behind my name, my opinion is devalued by some
individuals. For instance, the other day, I was blocked by a man on Google+ almost
immediately following a point in our chat when I revealed what I do for a
living. He surmised that I could do nothing to further his agenda, so he was “done”
interacting with me. I wasn’t an important person, so why should he bother
treating me with even a modicum of respect?
(There, Mr. I’m-Too-Good-For-You,
do you even know what “modicum” means? Ha! Aren’t superior language skills as
important as a high salary? Try applying for an executive position if you have
poor communication skills! But, I digress. That’s another blog post.)
As any
social media user can attest, this is not an uncommon incident. So how do we
keep our self-respect?
We rest in
God’s love, acceptance, and guidance. God sees the first apostle to the
Gentiles in the man who persecuted church members. God sees the fledgling bestselling
author in the starving, abused single mom. God sees the fledgling software
billionaire in the computer geek struggling to run a business out of a garage.
God isn’t
done with you yet. What does God see in you?
