Some of us do things we wouldn’t normally do just to be accepted by the group we are “hanging out” with. If we have to do something against our convictions, it is not worth being accepted by that group. They are not true friends. We should work on making friends that line up with our convictions or above so that we have enough good friends that it won’t matter if we get rejected.
Jesus was rejected but He knew who He was and didn’t need anyone to confirm who He was. We can have that ultimate friend and as long as we have our identity in Christ, the rejections of this world won’t matter and we will be able to stand on our convictions. Those rejections will no longer make such an impact and we will actually be able to like ourselves.
It is easier to like ourselves if we are doing our best and living up to our convictions. When we start liking ourselves and know that God loves us even when we fail, it won’t matter so much if others like us. We will have many friends and we will have the ultimate friend, Jesus. That will be all that matters.