Writing about the approval addiction and the spiritual discipline of secrecy, John Ortberg ("The Life You've Always Wanted") discusses the dangers of seeking the approval of others, being unduly affected by criticism, comparing ourselves to others, etc. He writes:

"Away from the winds, the earthquakes, and the fires of human recognition, I can hear again the still, small voice, posing the question it always asks of self-absorbed children: 'What are you doing here?' Too often I reply to the voice by whining about some of my own Ahabs and Jezebels. And the voice gently reminds me, as it has reminded thousands of Elijahs before me, that I am only a small part of a much larger movement and that at the end of the day there is only one King whose approval will matter: 'It is the Lord who judges me.'"

May I live for His approval alone.