What’s your approval rating? Like the press frequently reports approval ratings for the President of the United States by voters, what’s your latest score?

Polls ask, “Do you approve of how the President is handling the economy? Do you agree with how the President is running the war?” And we hear about the results through the media every week.

Are your numbers up or down right now?

Society seems fascinated with approval ratings.

On one hand, if we’re not the President, or someone who the pollsters is paying attention to, we might cast the whole polling phenomenon off with a “Popularity statistics are irrelevant to me. Nobody cares what I do.” But do we honestly feel that way? Do you ever worry about whether other people approve of what you do?

Some people worry a lot about their “approval rating.”

I’ve certainly agonized over it in years past when speaking before public audiences. Questions like, “I wonder if they like what I’m saying? I wonder if they like me or hate me?” can wrestle for attention. And if heeded, can be crippling to success.

If you pay much attention to what your “approval rating” is you can become so self-conscious and worried about what the other person is thinking, you don’t pay attention to what you’re supposed to be doing and doing it well.

One way to eliminate unnecessary concern about approval ratings is to know that you are already rated at 100% by God! God approves of you to the max. Your rating with God couldn’t be any higher.

Instead of worrying about it, just get out there and be all God has designed you to be and don’t worry about what mortal mind opines.

Jesus Christ certainly didn’t worry about his approval rating. He told it like it was.

He was wise at times about what he said, not wanting to turn off his followers with absolute truths they weren’t ready to understand. But he didn’t pull back either when attacked by enemies who wanted to discredit him and make him look bad. He didn’t get intimidated, wobbly-kneed, or afraid about the consequences of living true to his ideology. He knew who he was approved of God, and that was sufficient approval for him.

And it should be sufficient approval for us.

We don’t need to cater to the pollsters of this world that constantly monitor how we’re doing in the eyes of our neighbors.

On the other hand, it’s not healthy to take a selfish, self-centered approach of “I’m going to do what I’m darn well please,” either. That’s an attitude God does not approve of. “Thy will be done.” But we can take the approach of “I’m going to follow through with what God expects of me.”

When we live the Golden Rule, embody the Beatitudes and live faithful to the Ten Commandments, we’re going to prosper and God is going to protect us.

When the pollsters around us tell us our ratings are down, we need to be wise about the conclusions we draw. Are our ratings down in the eyes of God or in the eyes of mortal man? God is the one we need to please, not personal opinion.

So remember, your approval rating as a faithful child of God and worker of divine purpose is at an all-time high–perfect, wonderful, glorious, super-terrific–and couldn’t be better in the eyes of God.

Live up to God’s expectations not mortal mind’s limited view and you will be one happy camper and prosperous worker.