ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS WILL SAY?  

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus "BY NIGHT" and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God;...  (John 3:1,2a)

Do you sometimes worry about your image with other people?  Do you avoid taking certain actions because you are not sure whether you will be criticized for them?  If so, you are probably like most people.  However as time goes on, you should begin to be more concerned with God's perception of you than man's perception of you.   

In the passage above, Nicodemus was afraid of being discovered by other Pharisees when he decided to go see Jesus.  Accordingly, he decided to go "AFTER DARK" to speak to Jesus.  He really wanted to learn from Jesus but he valued the relationships with his peers more than with the Lord. He did not want them to know He was talking to Jesus and he was afraid of what they would say about him for doing that. To his credit, his meeting with Jesus caused him to change his thinking and he later became a bold witness for Christ.

In this day and age, many people seem to be so concerned about what other people think about them that they avoid being genuine about what they really believe.  I am not saying that we need to share every little thing about ourselves for public scrutiny.  Certainly, many things are no one else's business. And of course, we should put our best foot forward in all of our endeavors. But since no one is perfect, there is no need to try and impress anyone else just to keep them from talking negatively about you.  After all, people are going to say what they want to about you no matter what you do.  

Don't be afraid to speak up for right causes, and don't let others do your thinking for you.  And certainly, don't worry about what others will say. It is only what God says about you that really counts!  To God be the Glory!