Your Opinion Doesn’t Matter

Why do we value our own opinion so much? I believe it comes from years of being hurt and discouraged to the point that the only person we trust is ourselves. 

The further we move through this pandemic the more I realize how emotionally underdeveloped I really am. I’m blessed to own a business, be happily married, have 5 kids, 2 dogs, a rabbit, a cat, and an aging gecko named Bob. If that seems like a lot going on, your opinion on this matter would be correct. My sophomoric self tends to show up most when something along the above-stated list doesn’t run like a perfectly synced marching band. Sometimes it feels like the margin for error is so thin that if the cat catches a cough the whole thing may fall apart. However, that is just my opinion.  

Why am I telling you all this? Simply to say that I have been and remain to be uniquely unqualified for any good thing that has happened in my life. I remember pulling out of the hospital with our first child 15 years ago and driving extremely slow over the speed bumps. I did this because it felt like her head may roll off. How in the world can we raise a strong woman if I can’t even get out of the parking lot? Well, that little girl is now an amazing person! At the time my opinion was leading me down a path of failure and worry. Prayer, practice, and wisdom from older parents helped us look past our own opinions and onto the exciting journey that was ahead. 

Your opinion of yourself is most likely the biggest lie you have ever chosen to believe. We have a bad habit of disqualifying our self before the person doing the qualifying has even met us. STOP IT! Your opinion is not the final judgment on who you are or what you will become. So how do we break this habit and become people that are able to push through the miry clay of self-worth? 

First, acknowledge that your opinion is not truth. You may believe that it is but understand that you have been conditioned to think much less of yourself than others think of you. Second, seek good counsel from people who have been encouraging to you. Those people tend to see you more rightly than you do. Third, consider all the good things you have in your life and be grateful. Like my dad always says, I have never met an unhappy grateful person. Finally, go for it. This life is not a trial run. This is our only shot to positively affect those with whom we have been blessed enough to know. 

In conclusion, difficult times reveal insecurities and opportunities for improvement. Today is the day for you to rid yourself of the opinions that have tethered you to unbelief. Cut the rope, break the chain, lift the anchor, and let’s collectively come out of this better than we entered.