Don’t worry about being liked

From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin

Canadian writer and former litigation lawyer, Robin Sharma, once said, “You’ll never change the world if you’re worried about being liked.”

That is not to say that some world changers are people we actually like, but if getting liked is your goal, then changing the world around you won’t be.

King Solomon had another way of putting it in Proverbs 29:25: “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.”

Hey, I get it, who doesn’t want to be liked?

The path is easier and there is less conflict when we are not in disagreement with others, which is why we should not purposely try to be in conflict with people.

Nevertheless, there will certainly be times when we need to stand up for our convictions for the sake of a clear conscience, even when those times mean that someone won’t like us for our stance.

I learned this lesson the hard way at my wedding.

Some attending were strict tea totallers, and others were against dancing.

What to do?

Ruth and I decided to have a ‘dry’ wedding, using sparkling grape juice for the toasting, in deference to those who were abstainers.

We also went with a polka band to cater to those from my ethnic background.

As it turned out, we ended up ticking off people from both sides.

There were some abstainers who were offended that we had a band, and there were the dance lovers who snuck out to their trunks for a nip between songs!

Folks, you cannot live your life trying to get everyone to like you.

Pray, ask God what is best, and go with that.

In the end you may not have everyone like you but your conscience will be clear.

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