Amen! Just what I needed to read:
It’s called the fear of man, when you have a deep concern about what others think of you. When there’s this controlling desire for human approval and a controlling fear of people’s rejection, where you desire to be respected you desire to be esteemed you desire to be admired you desire to be included you desire to be invited in; and you have an accompanying fear of being overlooked of being mistreated of being neglected of being excluded of being victimized.
It’s the fear of man. We want so badly people’s acceptance and we fear so badly people’s rejection.
Now these are legitimate desires….In fact, these legitimate desires keep you from sinful and destructive behavior. There are things you haven’t done in life out of fear of how you would look in front of people and its a good thing you didn’t do those things. But the problem is when these natural and legitimate desires become inordinate, or excessive, or controlling…when we become consumed by what people think about us…When we start to need the approval of someone, or anyone, or even people we don’t even know. It is the fear of man. And what happens is we start to define ourselves by how people respond to us, or by how we perceive their perceptions of us, and we get really enslaved to the fear of man.
With friends who meant well and they still do, I love them and will do whatever I can for them and they're the same with me. 
Praying for you!
