Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World
Day 173 - The other problem with appearance management
Scripture focus: When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God's glory. John 12:43 The Message
I sat in a class and listened to a lecturer articulate the concept of "people pleasing" - and although I was an expert at practicing the principle, I had never realized it was a problem! For me, people pleasing was normal. My mind never leapt to the next question - Is it healthy?
But when this guy started contrasting people pleasing versus God pleasing - my heart dropped to the floor. It was a God moment - one of those moments of clarity you hate to have but desperately need. I realized that I had never really considered pleasing God. If the choice came was either God or people pleasing - I went for the approval of man over God every time. Plenty of scriptures warned me against this form of appearance management. I simply hadn't made the connection.
I took a few days to process my new-found regret. I realized that I didn't think about pleasing God, because of two competing lies:
1. I figured I never could please Holy God, so why try? AND
2. I assumed God should be big enough to love me unconditionally. Crazy, huh?
Today, I feel differently. I realize that scripture isn't exhorting me to please God - God is already pleased with me. But when I care too much about the approval of man, I'm probably missing opportunities to live a life that reflects God's glory.
Ordering our life by the principle of "pleasing" may be problematical at many levels.
I wonder how our lives would change if we cared less about what others thought of us. Would it leave us more time to simply care about God, others, and self?
Recommended reading: 1 Kings 22 in the morning; Psalm 138 in the evening
1 comment:
Amen! I, too, have been guilty of this. A few years ago, I became very ill and was bed- ridden for months because I wasn't able to tell people 'no' and over-extended my obligations. While in recovery, I began watching Joyce Meyer's television programs in which she frequently talked about being a 'people pleaser' and not a 'God pleaser'. I joined her web program, and was sent several short books she had written, and her teaching CDs which helped me tremendously in seeing the person that I truly was. Her many writings also address her struggles with shame, guilt, as well as, obsessions with pleasing others. To date, her writings have helped me and my husband to look at ourselves in a different way, and how our every day views and actions effect our relationship with God. The best thing about these books are the length and ease of reading. They also make it very easy to understand what God wants from us and how to do it. If you like to read, or if you want another resource to better assist you in finding your way back to God, just pick up any of her books and you will be on your way!
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