In 1985, Frederick Holliday, the superintendent of Cleveland's public schools, shot himself through the heart with a .357 magnum. In a suicide note he said that although he had achieved great success, he could not tolerate being stripped of his dignity by the unfair and vicious accusations leveled against him by his opponents.

Taking his own life, though, left family and friends heartbroken. I wish that Holliday would have chosen instead to follow the example of the apostle Paul. Although subjected to indignities and insulting accusations, Paul was so conscious of living in the presence of God that His verdict was all that really mattered to him. I am sure the accusations of fellow humans hurt him, and the approval of his own conscience helped him, but his overriding conviction is found in his words, "He who judges me is the Lord" (1 Corinthians 4:4).

Others' unfair opinions of you may be hurting you deeply and causing you to think more unfavorably about yourself than you should. But if you have placed your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, and you're trying to do what is right, don't despair. God, who provided for your salvation and has accepted you as His child, sees you and approves of you. And that is what matters most.  —HVL  — Herbert Vander Lugt