People magazine has named actress Sandra Bullock the World’s Most Beautiful Woman of 2015. I certainly do not have anything against Sandra Bullock as I am sure she is a nice lady but this is just a magazine expressing an opinion. And, many of us would rate physical attractiveness somewhere down on the list when considering important things in life.
Read this historical recording from the Bible about the opinion of the enemies of Jesus (the most important man to ever walk the face of the earth).
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him (Jesus), along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. (ESV) Mat 22:15-16
Interesting that someone’s enemies would still share this type of opinion about Jesus:
- You are true
- You teach the way of God truthfully
- You do not care about anyone’s opinion
- You are not swayed by appearances
Wow, these are some powerful credentials. This creates a water mark for me to measure myself to see how I rate.
One of the fun things l like to ask when talking with foreigners is, “What do people in your culture or nation think about America and Americans?” Here are some of their answers or thoughts:
- Group of 6 Germans visiting Tulsa, Oklahoma – “Everyone seems to be in such a hurry. Americans should slow down a bit and not take life so seriously”
- University Student in Ethiopia while I was teaching a business class – “Why is America so successful?”
- Ecuadorian business person – “We really like Russia and their leader, Putin. And prefer some of the Russian technology over technology from the US”.
This is what I love about every trip and international person I meet. I get to share about the experiences God has given me and then I also get to learn new perspectives from them. The most profound experiences are always in the exchange.
What are some of the life lessons you have learned on an international trip? Feel free to add to the discussion in the comment section!
Whether it is People Magazine, a Bible lesson, or an international experience, the discussion of “who opinion counts?” is relevant. What do you think? Is it worth listening to other people’s opinion? How much influence should other people have in molding our lives?
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