You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

- Matthew 5:13-16

Christians are often told “be in the world and not of the world.” It gets redundant and jaded quite frankly, but it is indispensable. If we are to proclaim the “good news”we need to act in a manner that is glorifying to Christ.

Examples include, but are not limited to: caring for the poor (Proverbs 22:9), loving those who may not love us (Romans 12:9-21), being patient (Proverbs 15:18), supporting those weak in faith (1 Thessalonians:44).

Nevertheless, what if I told you that there is another notion Christians should aspire towards?

May I find it anywhere in the Bible? Is it preached on various Sundays? Do Christians often talk about it?

Yes, no and no.

Here’s the concept: As Christians, we should care what others think of us.

Proverbs 29:25 states,

It is dangerous to be concerned what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.

If we are to be in the world and not of it, we shouldn’t be concerned with what others think of us, correct? Again, there is a yes and no to this. Don’t misconstrue my presented perception. In no way, am I going to contradict my beliefs nor the greatest book bestowed. It’s God’s work and to do so would be quite sacrilegious.

Moreover, it’s only dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you if you simply want to please them and obtain their friendship with secular values (adultery, lust, pride, selfishness) rather than with what matches Christ’s (love, patience, kindness).

However, as pertinent as it is to be dismissive toward man and grounded in Jehovah, Christians need to care what men thinks of them, not by whether men are pleased with them, but rather by their Christian identity.

If Christians are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) then we need to make sure we have our Christian values that not only affect our thoughts, but our actions and motives as well.

We need to care that we are portraying Christ in our identity. That is where we need to care what others think of us. We need to care if men actually see a Christ engraved identity in our daily walk. If we don’t care if they see our Christ embedded worldview, then how can we make an impact for Christ?