Do You Change Who You Are To Be Accepted?

Today I am linking up with my dear friends Kalyn and Lauren.
I LOVE the link up that they do. They always present questions that you can discuss - ones that you would bring up and talk to a friend about over coffee. 
Today's question is:
"How important is social approval to you?"
This is a question who's answer has changed with age. If you would have asked me this 10 years ago in high school, I wouldn't have probably admitted it, but I cared A LOT about what people thought of me and whether or not I was accepted.
I think most of that stemmed from the fact that I was overweight and had few friends in middle school. When I finally got to a weight I was happy with and started becoming more confident, I just wanted everyone to like me. I never wanted to be "friendless" again. That equated to me watching what I would say, being very particular in what I wore and trying my hardest to seem "cool".
I look back and laugh now. I haven't seen 98% of the people I went to high school with since graduation day. I really could care less what any of them think of me now. Was it worth me maybe not always being my "true self" in order to gain their approval all those years ago? No way.
I think I have really come to grips with this topic over the past couple of years. I no longer am afraid to be exactly who I am - I share my faith, my opinions & thoughts on things, I dress how I want to and I try to be "me", regardless of what everyone else around me is doing. Does this mean I have no desire in my heart for social acceptance? No. I think it is very natural to want to be accepted and befriended. I think the main thing we need to remember is that it is fine to have that desire, as long as that desire does not rule over you and keep you from being true to yourself. If you find yourself embarrassed to share your faith or scared to talk about your viewpoints on a topic, those probably aren't the types of people you should want acceptance from. People who love you for you will encourage you to share openly, respecting you thoughts and accepting you for exactly who you are (:


Check out one of the sweetest ladies I know: