Seeking Validation
Validation feels innocent—just a desire to be seen, affirmed, understood. But it can quietly become a form of surrender. Because when you begin to live for someone’s approval, you give them power they were never meant to hold.
“Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
— Galatians 1:10
The issue isn’t affirmation itself. It’s where your sense of worth is rooted. If it’s rooted in the shifting approval of others, you’ll constantly shape-shift to keep peace. And in doing so, you’ll lose the clarity and courage needed to live the life God actually called you to.
This is how relational leverage flips: when someone’s opinion becomes your measure, you start building their vision for your life. You say yes when you should be silent. You stay when you were called to move. You protect connection at the expense of obedience.
Validation rooted in insecurity breeds anxiety. You’ll feel torn, hesitant, unclear.
But when your security is rooted in God, you can move with quiet inner authority. You don’t have to be loud. You don’t have to prove. You’re anchored.
The goal isn’t to be unaffected by people. The goal is to no longer be ruled by them.
Let God’s voice be the one that names you. Let that be the ground you build from.