Quote:
Originally Posted by eDh22
I'm throwing out....the need to get or give a resounding AMEN after every uttered phrase! 
I've been told over the years that I use A LOT of spoken fillers. I didn't realize how much until I watched an hour video of myself conversing. I interjected a "yes", "uh huh", "I see" every time someone so much as took a breath in the conversation. It was so odd to view 3rd person - the only thing it finally reminded me of was a Local Church prayer meeting. I still carry with me the practice of reinforcing every few words uttered with a confirmation. 
Anyone else still talk in a funny diction? Feel the need to pray in sing-song?
Confession. I do miss getting those AMENS several times a week. No one may have really been listening, I may not have really meant or understood what I said, but I was receiving affirmation that I belonged to a group...as long as I did funny-speak with them  |
One thing a group like the LR does is compromise your self-esteem and self-respect and make it dependent upon the approval of others and the group.
This is actually almost exactly the opposite of how God wants us to be. He wants us to respect ourselves and not need the approval of others. Now, there is nothing wrong with desiring and appreciating the LOVE of others. But approval is not love. Love is unconditional. Approval is by definition based on other's admiration of our behavior.
Again there is balance. If I cook a good meal and everyone praises it, it is normal for me to feel good about that. But if I LIVE to seek the approval of others, I am emotionally and probably morally compromised. That's what the amens do.
Bottom line: Your ultimate sense of self worth must come from how God feels about you, not how anyone else does. You are a beloved child of God, no matter what anyone else thinks.