We often wonder if our friends really like us…if our coworkers admire us…if our boss respects us. So many of us are addicted to the disease to please. It’s a human condition to desire others to like us but how far will we go to make that happen?
There are three flags that might indicate you desire people to like you over and above the normal. If you obsess about what other people think about our clothes, your job, what you drive, your social media posts, you might find yourself in that position. If you are overly sensitive to criticism you might just care too much what others think. If you have a hard time telling anyone “no”, you probably will go to great lengths for others to swoon when you walk in the room.
King Solomon said in Proverbs 29:25, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety” That word “trap” in the original language could be translated as a noose to catch wild game or a nose ring for a cow. Hoping for people’s approval can led you to an invisible prison. See, becoming obsessed about what other people think about you is the fastest way for you to forget what God thinks about you.
The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:10, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Paul had given up on what people thought of him. He had lost so many friends and family because of his conversion to Jesus. He had placed himself under and in submission to Christ which meant his call was to live for him, not other people.
See, pleasing people is a form of idolatry. You may be saying you don’t have any real idols in your home you bow down to but anything you put in front of God becomes an idol See God wants to be your everything and if you are consumed with what other people think about you, there is no room for God.
But the good news is that the approval of God sets us free from the disease to please! Think about how freeing it would be if you just didn’t worry about what other people thought. You only recognize who God has said you were and that would be enough. Your worth is not based on what your family thinks of you or your coworkers or even your spouse. God has already said how worthy you are when he sent Jesus to earth.
You are not what others think or say about you. In Jesus, you are God’s workmanship. You are an adopted chid of God. You are a prisoner set free from your past. You are an overcomer. So, don’t think about how the world views you. Enjoy the freedom you have in Christ. Blessings on the journey!