The Story of the Boy Who Was Controlled By Others

Several years ago, I met with a teenage boy who, with striking honesty and a disarming sense of cultural awareness, looked at me and said, “Mr. Thomas, you don’t wear Walmart to high school.” His words were clear, unfiltered, and surprisingly profound. In that simple statement, this young man had unwittingly diagnosed one of the most pervasive and deeply embedded issues that afflict every human heart: the powerful pull of the fear of man. With his comment, he laid bare his internal struggle—one we all know too well—the temptation to let the collective opinions of others define our choices, values, and even our self-worth. Though he may not have used theological language, he was describing the reality of being mastered by what others think of him.