Greetings to the whole community. Welcome to my blog! In Romans 14:12, the Lord tells us:

For each of us to give God a self-report (responsibility with regard to judgment).

Facing the criticism and condemnation of others is easier when we remember that, in the end, it is before our own Master that we will be approved or condemned (Romans 14: 4). In the end, we are responsible only before God. It is a sin to judge and criticize others, but it is equally sinful to allow the adverse opinions of others to control our decisions. Romans 14:23 says that what does not come from faith is sin.

We long for acceptance; therefore, criticism and condemnation are difficult for us mentally and emotionally. In fact, it hurts us to be criticized or judged! However, if we are going to succeed in being ourselves, we must have the same attitude that Paul showed when he wrote:

I have very little to be judged by you, or by a human court; and I still do not judge myself. Because although I have no conscience, I am not justified; but the one who judges me is the Lord.

In the same way we can say that Paul did not allow the decisions of others to change his destiny. In Galatians 1:10, he said that if he had been seeking the popularity of the people, he would not have been an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. This statement should teach us a lot. How can we be ourselves if we are too worried about what others will think?
In Philippians 2: 7, Paul says that Jesus ... emptied himself ... Jesus, obviously, was not worried about what others would think. He had one goal: to do the will of the Father, neither more nor less. He knew he had to maintain his freedom to fulfill his destiny.

Criticism and condemnation can be painful, but not as painful as letting criticism and condemnation control and manipulate us. For me, the greatest tragedy of life would be to grow old and to feel that at some point along the way I got lost and that I did not manage to be myself.