People Pleasers or God Pleasers?

Paul the Apostle gave us his answer to being a people pleaser or God pleaser. “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.” Galatians 1:10

People-pleasing is not a virtue many of us strive to cultivate. People-influencing or people-winning maybe, but not people-pleasing. The phrase itself sounds like pretending, like we are acting against our will to satisfy the desires of someone else.

I had it wrong most of my life. I wanted to please people. I was a good girl. I wanted my teacher to like me; friends to like me; really, I wanted everyone to like me! That sure put a lot of pressure on a young girl.

But then I came across that Galatians 1:10 scripture. It is amazing how much simpler life becomes when we realize God is THE ONE we need to please. Forget about juggling everyone's expectations. One audience member who matters: God.

Jesus even said: “I don’t try to please myself, but I try to please the One who sent me” (John 5:30). Jesus had it figured out -- living for an audience of ONE.

The very first commandment warns us, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Anything we put before God becomes a god. Yes, even our picture-perfect family portrait or our Pinterest-perfect living room can become a god if we’re not careful.

Anything or anyone that takes the top spot in our lives, pushing God to the sidelines, is a potential idol. That new car, our career, or even our love for blogging (ouch and oh me!)! All good things, but not when they take God’s place.

Success can be an idol. Money can be an idol. And yes, the opinions of others can become an idol too. When we care more about what people think than what God thinks, we have a new god on our hands.

Paul nails it in Galatians 1:10, reminding us that our goal isn’t to win a popularity contest but to serve and live for Christ. Being liked is okay and serving others is okay, but it’s not the main event. When we make God our priority, everything and everyone else falls into their proper place.

Let's stop people-pleasing when it gets in the way of pleasing the ONE Who matters most. After all, we don’t need to impress our neighbor with our door decorations (ouch and oh me) or bake the best brownies at the church potluck to earn God’s love. We are already so loved.

Remember, we have an audience of One. And His opinion is the ONE that counts!