Focus On Following God
Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant. -- Galatians 1:10
How many people have you tried to please today? Spouse? Children? Parents? In-laws? Friends? Co-workers? Boss? And that’s just the beginning of the list. Sometimes it seems that we spend all of our days, every day, trying to please other people. It’s an impossible and exhausting task.
The sad truth is that no matter how much we do, some people will never be pleased with us. There will always be that one co-worker who finds fault is everything you do. Your mother-in-law will find that one speck of dust you missed. Your husband will need the very suit you forgot to pick up at the drycleaners. And your child will need help with a class project the night before you’re scheduled to give a big presentation.
It’s so wonderful to know that the only One whose opinion really matters is God’s. Sure, we want others to like us and appreciate what we do for them but we can’t meet their needs or high standards all the time. Nor can they meet ours.
Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn’t admit their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
-- John 12:42-43
We sometimes spend so much time trying to please others that we miss doing what pleases God. We can’t seem to carve out time for Bible study and prayer because our family needs us. We can’t volunteer at the soup kitchen because the kids have so many activities and there simply isn’t time. We neglect visits to elderly relatives and sick neighbors because we’re trying to earn a promotion by putting in extra hours at work.
Yet, what is really important? What will matter long after this merry-go-round ride is through? Not money or status or promotions. What matters most are the people whose lives we touch as we live our faith. What matters most is spending time with God, listening to His voice and growing in His word.
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. -- Galatians 5:1
It is so freeing when you finally reach a point where you realize that pleasing God really is all that matters. What about your family? Well, pleasing God means loving them and being kind and caring for them. It doesn’t mean running yourself ragged trying to meet an impossible list of needs. The same is true of all the others who demand time and perfection from you. Oh, sure, there are some who still will grumble and complain. So what? They’re going to be unhappy no matter what you do.
Seek God’s Word. Follow His call. Let His peace surround you. Let everything else fall into place according to His Will.
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