How many of us do live for an Audience of One? I believe Graham Cooke said it best and I am paraphrasing
We live for an Audience of One where the praises at our right hand and criticism at our left meaning nothing.
Where I find myself not living for an Audience of One is on social media like Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, etc. I see others on Facebook posting similar things like myself and I don’t get any responses. I have family I rarely see and I see them commenting and liking what my other family members post but I get nothing. No love. No recognition. And because of this I sit in a speculatory mindset rehearsing ghost thoughts that appear, disappear, and then reappear. I make my Facebook and WordPress posts report cards on my life and where I look for worth and value. Genesis calls it looking to the ground and the work of my hands for worth. I mean people strive daily for the sake of others and to try to impress someone who has no bearing on their life. We judge our existence based upon someone else’s Photoshopped life. We live to an audience of thousands.
As I got on the computer this morning to finish this blog I got this quote of confirmation in my email
The fear of man strangles us, because we can never please everybody; but the fear of the Lord frees us, because it challenges us to live and serve for an audience of One. – Paul Chappell
John Eldredge has a great perspective on this and he says this(paraphrased by me)
If you give someone the power to validate you, you also give them the power to invalidate you. Other people are not the report card on your life.
Jesus only lived and lives to an Audience of One. John 5:19 says
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Jesus received and receives validation, confirmation, and identity from One Person and that is our Father. We, likewise, should do and be the same. It doesn’t matter how many Follow you on Twitter, Instagram, or WordPress. It doesn’t matter how many comments, likes, and shares you get on Facebook or how few likes, comments, and shares. Praises and criticism counts for nothing. Philippians 3:8,9a declares
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him…
We may be surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses but we live in the favor of One Witness. Forget your posts, blogs, likes, shares, comments, praises, criticisms, and labels of others. Consider them dung or worthless apart from receiving the affection and affirmation of your Father in Heaven. His report card on you is the finished word of Christ! When He sees you He sees Jesus, when He sees Jesus He sees you. Simple. We live for an Audience of One. Not just an Audience but a co-worker, co-laborer, co-everything. He is with us, in this together. Lets begin to live like it.
As He is...so are we 