Living for One, While Living Among Many

I have taught in public school, I have taught in private school, and I have homeschooled. Each of these teaching experiences were done in equal amounts of time- 3 years each. I have been a working mom and a stay at home mom. My first child started his education as a homeschooler and now both of my children attend a private Christian school. All of these experiences were God led and I share this with you only because as time has gone on, I have learned the sensitivity that comes with these choices and topics. I have experienced the various opinions that accompany them all- good and bad. We live among many and their varied opinions that often get shared with us, unsolicited. We can leave the company of one person who praises you for the season God has you in and the choices you have made, while others look down their noses at you with complete disapproval. You can go from encouraged to discouraged in a New York minute, and tuning out the voices can be difficult at times.
As time has passed, experiences have allowed me to learn that opinions change from person to person and that opinions should never be the source of assurance. Listening to the many voices and allowing these opinions to have a place to live in your mind will make you feel like a yo-yo, with the ups and downs being so constant that you lose the ability to know which is which. God’s plans, callings, and directions, are purposeful, and come without all the disarray as long as we continue to listen to Him. The opinions of others may come in variants, but the plans of the Lord always stand firm, regardless of what others may think.
Once we realize the assurance and stability we gain from resting in where God has called us to be and making His calling the focal point, the voices of others begin to grow fainter. Although we live among many, we live for One, and God’s voice is the only voice that we should allow to take up residence in our hearts and minds!

Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.