Validation: the Snare of Man 

                     OR 

Validation: the Peace of God

As humans, we are often seeking for validation: validation in who we are, validation in the path of life we take, validation in our feelings and thoughts, validation in our hurts and trials. Today, we want to dig deep to see who we are allowing to validate us and the byproduct of that decision. 

Proverbs 29:25 KJV

“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

Man’s opinions of what is acceptable have changed. The world once validated a women who was the keeper of the home, had moral purity, and upheld other things that Christians also valued. The world tells us we need to be one way while the word of God tells us to be another way. This is true from our gender to our demeanor. The opinions of man change, laws of what is acceptable change, and what is expected of people change. That's why I must have validation from the Lord.

I don't have enough space to get into each of the above mentioned validations but let’s look into the validation of the paths of life. Early on, I personally struggled with feeling the need to prove that homeschooling was the right choice for my family. I exhausted myself trying to prove to people it was the right choice for us (the snare of man). The same was the case with personal standards. I tried to convince others that this was the best way for me to live out God's Word, only to end up frustrated (the snare of man). God gave me a certain path to follow, and He lights my specific path with specific needs for me. Not everyone can see the light on my path; it's for me to see. It is a personal path that God had lit the way for me as an individual. Others cannot validate that homeschooling is the right direction because it isn't their path to take. They can't validate my personal standards that God gave me to keep me from sin because I have different temptations that I need to protect against. I must trust the Lord and follow the path He has for me. I recently had a situation when I had to go back to the Lord for validation that I was on His path. I sought council from godly women and had conflicting solutions. I could have chosen one of their paths, but that would have led me in the wrong direction (the snare of man). I took their council before the Lord and asked Him to light the path.

James 1:8 KJV

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

People are searching for other people to affirm them, that's why we have coined phrases like "these are my people," or "my tribe,” or “my squad”. We can always find people that will both agree with us and disagree with us.

If I listen and follow what Tom says this time, then what Linda says next time, and Joe the next, I will become unstable. Following the advice of man alone will cause us to be unstable in all our ways. On the other hand, if I take my situation and send it through the sifter of experience, then the sifter of human council, then the sifter of God's Word, and then the sifter of prayer; I will find my validation in the Lord (not man) and will have a firm foundation to stand on.

Psalms 119:165 KJV

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

When our validations comes from the Lord and a love for His Word, we will not be offended when others don't validated who we are, our way of life, the decisions we have, or the feelings we express. Validation from the world will bring temporary relief, but validation from the Lord will bring lasting peace.