REFLECTIONS - The Story Behind The Story

Choosing faith when approval is lost.

Obedience often begins quietly.

It starts with conviction long before it becomes visible, and it usually costs us something we didn’t expect to lose—approval.

Scripture never promises that obedience will be understood. In fact, it often warns the opposite. Jesus Himself was misunderstood, misrepresented, and rejected—not because He lacked truth, but because truth disrupts expectations.

Reputation is fragile. It is built on perception, sustained by consensus, and easily lost when obedience refuses to conform.

But Scripture asks a sobering question:
Whose approval are we living for?

When obedience costs reputation, it reveals where our confidence was anchored. Approval feels safe, but it is not stable. Faithfulness, on the other hand, does not depend on applause.

God does not measure obedience by public agreement.
He measures it by faithfulness in the unseen.

And sometimes, the loss of reputation is not punishment—it is preparation.

A Closing Thought

Obedience may cost how others see us.
But it clarifies how we see God.

Identity that doesn’t require validation.

There is a subtle temptation in spiritual life:
the desire to be recognized rather than known.

Recognition feels affirming.
Being known feels risky.

Scripture consistently places value on being known by God above being affirmed by people. The apostle Paul writes plainly: “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ”(Galatians 1:10).

God’s knowledge of us precedes our usefulness.
It precedes our obedience.
It even precedes our understanding of ourselves.

To be known by God is to be fully seen—without performance, without explanation, without defense.

And that kind of knowing does not always translate into public affirmation.

Sometimes obedience draws attention.
Other times, it removes it.

But identity rooted in God does not require visibility to remain intact.

A Closing Thought

Being known by God is enough—
even when it is unseen by others.

Who we listen to when it matters most.

Fear shapes behavior.

The fear of people whispers quietly:
Don’t disrupt.
Don’t confront.
Don’t stand out.

The fear of the Lord speaks differently.

It calls us to reverence—not terror, but awe. A recognition that God’s authority outweighs human opinion, and His truth endures beyond cultural comfort.

Scripture warns that the fear of people becomes a snare (Proverbs 29:25). It entangles discernment, delays obedience, and slowly replaces conviction with caution.

The fear of the Lord, by contrast, produces clarity.
It anchors conscience.
It frees us from needing to be right in the eyes of everyone.

This does not make us reckless.
It makes us faithful.

When these fears collide, one must yield.
And Scripture is clear which one leads to life.

A Closing Thought

The fear of people seeks safety.
The fear of the Lord leads to truth.

Boldness without spectacle.

Faith is not meant to hide—but neither is it meant to perform.

There is a difference between witness and spectacle, between humility and silence, between boldness and self-promotion.

Jesus never demanded attention.
Yet attention followed Him.

He spoke truth plainly, lived it visibly, and entrusted outcomes to God.

Public faith does not require volume.
It requires integrity.

Humility does not mean retreating from truth.
It means carrying truth without arrogance.

When faith moves into public spaces, it will be misunderstood. That does not require defensiveness. It requires steadiness.

God does not ask us to be impressive.
He asks us to be faithful.

A Closing Thought

Faith lived honestly does not need to shout.
It speaks clearly enough.