After my first workout in months, I found myself in the locker room, getting my stuff, forced to listen to a ridiculous conversation between two older men. It was about LSU football. They spoke of a high-school running back who was going to sign with the Tigers but decided to look around at some other schools. Their conclusion? He is overrated and wouldn't amount to much anyway. They then spoke of the quarterback that'll be on the team next year who is coming from a junior college. I read about this guy in the paper this morning. He was on the Georgia squad before he was kicked off the team because he plead guilty to fondling some girl in a bar. What do the old guys in the gym think of him? "Anybody could make an accusation that would cause trouble. He probably didn't even do it. I'm glad he's going to be on our team."
Why are these two football players viewed differently? One elevated, and the other scorned? Simple unfiltered bias. We all deal with it. Some will act the chameleon and will be controlled by the biases of others. Other people will not be driven by fear of man and will stick to the Truth regardless of the biases of others.
The Bible has much to say about this. From the Luke passage taught in our classes this Sunday:
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
(Luke 6:22 ESV)
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
(Luke 6:26 ESV)
May I live courageously for His glory when that stands in opposition to the approval of others.
