Can you please people and please God? Can you please God and please people? Can you please people and not please God? Can you please God and not please people? Have I confused you yet? I almost confused myself, no really, read each question by itself and then answer it. If you think like I do, you get four yeses. Why all the questions? Who knows, but I like to think and you just read what my mind does pretty regularly…scary…I know. :) On a more serious note, I tend to be a people pleaser. I always have been and though I’m working on it, I probably will always have a tendency to want to please others. I want approval from others and this is where I have to be careful. The only one I should seek approval from is The One and only God. When I realized this, my life started to have less stress in it and I became happier. The verse above from Galatians speaks to me over and over again. “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 This verse makes it seem like we aren't here to please men, and truthfully we aren't, but that’s another thought. :) In order to know if you are doing something to please men or God you have to look in your heart and sometimes you have to look deep in your heart.
We learn at an early age how to get approval from others. Think about when a baby does something and his/her parents clap and smile. The baby does it again, with same response from the parents. Soon, it becomes a game and so the start of seeking approval begins. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but you can trace seeking approval back to being a baby. There are two verses that I found to be thought provoking and wanted to share with you. The first verse comes from Romans, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Romans 8:8 Who has a sinful nature? Everyone is born with a sinful nature, but once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior the old sinful nature is gone. So, any good work you do before you are saved will not please God. In this instance you would be pleasing men with the good work you do, but you are not pleasing God. Once you are saved can you still please men but not please God? Yes, we can do a great act of kindness but if we do it for the wrong reasons (approval of men) then it is not pleasing to God. We can fool others and even ourselves but God cannot be fooled. He knows our hearts. I used to seek approval of others; I would do something good and want the pat on the back. I’m not saying you shouldn't give credit where credit is due. I am saying that you shouldn't do good deeds just for the approval of others. We should be seeking approval from God and then we will find that others approve of our good works (most of the time). “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 When we live our lives in such a way that the Lord finds it pleasing, then we are able to be at peace with even our enemies. I bet you can think of one person, who is not very pleasing to be around. I’ll give you a minute…………….. OK, got that person in mind? If we were to be Christ like, which means kind, gentle, and humble to name a few of his characteristics; do you think this person would start acting differently toward/around you? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is for certain, you would have the approval of God.
In today’s culture it’s very easy to get caught up in what you look like, how much you have, and if you have the newest whatever. We want these things because we want approval of men. We want people to like us, and for most of us we tend to approve of people who like what we like and have what we have. This is the world’s view of people and how the world chooses to approve people. It’s not easy when you are not approved of because you lack the newest whatever. Instead of focusing on approval of others; focus on approval from God. When you stop and think about people pleasers ( I am one) they want others to like them and ultimately that is the same as approval from others. As I mentioned earlier this is something I am working on. I pray over more things than I ever have before and I find I am less stressed. When we spend time in prayer and read our Bible we learn what pleases God and how we should reflect Christ in our lives. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” Ephesians 5:8-10 When you are walking with God you have His approval and the approval from others will come, but don’t put the approval from others first. As a self-proclaimed people pleaser this doesn't always come easy but knowing that I am in God’s hands and He approves of me softens the blow when others don’t approve of me. Until next time, “May Yahweh bless you and protect you.” Numbers 6:24
* Bible verses taken from NIV and HCSB
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