“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 CSB
Everyone succumbs to “pier” pressure. Have you ever looked up because you saw someone else looking up? Or walk into an elevator and faced the opposite direction of everyone else? We do it without realizing we even do it. “Pier” pressure affects us whether we realize it or not.
This morning my husband and I went to breakfast. We’re camping, I had on what I call “saucies”, a term my friend Amy introduced me too. It means comfy clothes. In this case, it was a pair of cut off sweatpants, one of my husband’s t-shirts from a tennis tournament he ran, and a bandanna pulling my hair back. I also had on my favorite pair of flip flops with cute little flowers on them. What I find comfortable was cause for concern for a lady we encountered. She had come in while we were eating, dressed very conservatively in capris and t-shirt with a sweater tied around her neck. Hair was done, light makeup. A casual relaxed look. She did not approve of my outfit. I have never so blatantly received such visual condemnation. As we were walking up to pay, she stared me down. I tried smiling at her twice, I couldn’t understand why she was staring at me so intently, making direct eye contact. Then she did it, the tell tale sign of being judged. She did the up and down look. She slowly let her eyes roll down my entire body, then back up again, meeting my eyes once more. It was very clear, she did not approve of my outfit.
Thank God for my Aunt Margie. My mother’s older sister and best friend. It was from her my mother and I learned this saying, “If you don’t owe them money, you don’t have to care what they think about you.” I’m very grateful to say, I don’t owe that woman a cent of money and I could care less what she thinks of me. But it still hurt on some level. She doesn’t even know me, why does making me feel bad about myself make her feel better? I don’t understand that at all. More than likely, it has more to do with her perception of herself than it does me. With a look, she was trying to spread negativity. I know it was negativity because I could not get the woman to smile, and I did try.
Why do we judge others so quickly? Why does outward appearance mean so much to us? It didn’t mean much to Jesus. Jesus cared about our hearts, where our treasure is there our heart will be too (Matthew 6:21 NIV). When we become to concerned about our outward image, that is where our heart will be. If that is the case, it is on a very shaky foundation. Looks are deceiving, they can be lost very easily, and they never tell the whole story. The lady who judged me so quickly by my outward appearance this morning has no idea who I am, what my heart is about or what God is doing in my life. But I do, and that is what matters most.
Let them think what they want to think. Keep your heart focused on God. His opinion is the one that matters
