Sunday, February 5, 2023

Isaiah 51:7 -- On Fearing Reproach and Making Changes

"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings."
Isaiah 51:7


I was thinking about this today, and I feel like we do this a lot. Fearing that "reproach of men" is some of the reason that we often have separate "selves"... the real self that we look at in the mirror each day and that we are in our own minds, and the somewhat less real appearance-only self that we show in public, wanting to look better than we are, or at least not reveal all of our failures and insecurities in public. Some of it is just not wanting to set a bad example, but on the other hand, maybe repentance and some deep honesty ARE the good example that we need to set.

Not saying that we necessarily need to air our dirty laundry in public, or give the whole world way too much information that will make life and relationships awkward, but maybe today we should think about why we change the message of our lives based on our audience, and make sure that we aren't making our choices out of fear, but rather making those choices in conversation with God. I think that leaving our biggest mistakes out of everyday conversation can still be wise, but let's make sure that it is about being uplifting rather than deceptive, and when we're prompted to reveal those things appropriately, to help someone else who struggles, or as part of the repentance process, let's not recoil in fear, but face up to our past selves, determined to change and improve.

This also reminds me of Isaiah 8:13... instead of worrying about what other people think, and changing who we are, or who we look like for them, when they often do not love us or have our best interests in mind, let's worry about what *God* thinks, and change (appropriately) for HIM... who loved us more than his own life, and who always seeks our best interests and ultimate happiness.

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