It's easy to become defensive when we are worried about what others think of us. Defensive people are fearful people.
When we don't care if others like us but are dedicated to obeying God only, we are free to be ourselves without worry about losing someone's love.
We love people but we don't need to be loved by others because Christ loves us, we can be authentic without fear. Every believer has the love of every other believer, no need to "work at it", it comes naturally to those who love Christ.
1 John 3:13-15 "…13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.…"
We want to be kind and loving in our responses to people but do not have a need to be fake to cause people to feel good about us.
If someone will not love us if we do not act like them these are people who will not be good and close friends.
May the Lord free us from the need to be special, loved by many people, and elevated in our own eyes. These things are bondage and will keep us continually emotional wrecks without strong character.
Keeping Christ as our focus will prevent us from "play-acting" a false self for others to view.
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