He must become greater; I must become less!
John 3:30

In this way John the Baptist spoke about Jesus. The long time in the desert had brought him into humility, made him dependant on God so that he no longer listened to human opinions. He was able to forego the praise and the acknowledgement of the people. The rejection obviously did not hit him anymore. He now was firmly bound to the truth of God and was only worried that he might not be one with Him in the spirit.
One mans honor was once highly appreciated. Today people look more for acknowledgement and praise. They do everything for that, put great effort to shine brilliantly in public. They hide all weakness, pretend to be cool as if they could handle everything perfectly. Like actors they put on a mask, play rolls. In truth they are hungry for praise and acknowledgement. They are not allowed to be oneself, have to hide their true I. These people cannot stand citicism, are very vulnerable and can be close to suicide if repeated complaints are made.
Young people in paticular are at risk in this way. They yearn for recognition and do everything to receive same,often get off track, do bad things sometimes under pressure of a group.
How liberating and comforting to know that there is someone waiting to help in this moment. Jesus is giving every acknowledgement we need. Only a intimate relationship with Him makes us strong and independant from peoples expectations, makes us able to swim against the main streams and to accept justified criticism. A strong heart seeks and walks the path that God shows him. Such people are then used by God to spread the gospel. The permeability to Him makes the difference. Do we hear His heartbeat? Is He our King?

Thank You, Jesus, with You I can go my way straight. I love being together with other people but am not dependant on their opinions. Your yes is important to me and I am glad that You forgive my guilt and keep raising me up. When people are criticizing me I come to You to receive consolation and new courage. It is so good to go the way with You!