Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT)
I spend WAY to much time worrying about what others think of me, trying to please everyone, or impressing people. As a society today we are all about comparing ourselves and seeing how we measure up. As women, wives, and mothers, We compare ourselves to the celebrity who has gone through who knows how many rounds of cosmetic surgery, and wonder why we feel less then beautiful. We compare ourselves to that Pinterest super mom who is artsy, crafty, ultra organized, and cooks gourmet meals. We see other peoples marriages and wonder why ours isn't like that- why doesn't my husband treat me the way her's does? We compare our parenting styles, our children's development. Why do we do this to ourselves?! It all leads to a general sense of dissatisfaction and self centeredness. There are different kinds of self-centered people. There are those who want to get all the attention and their very presence screams look at me, talk about me, I need, I need!- It's obvious that these people are self-centered. Then there are the secretly self-centered. The ones who are constantly thinking about what other people think, they worry about the way they walk, talk, dress, you name it. Outwardly, they can appear to be very humble, but the ultimate focus is still on self.
God created us all to be unique. He gave us each talents and abilities and personalities for different purposes. Our focus should not be on worrying about how we look or measure up to others. We are not here to please people- just God.
Galatians 1:10 Obviously, 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.
People look at the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart ( 1 Samuel 16:7) The Lord wants us to care about others and be genuinely humble. Not false modesty that just makes people pat you on the back - but genuine humility. Putting others before ourselves. Putting God first and foremost in our lives and devoting everything we do to Him for HIS glory- not our own image. Stop playing the comparison game, stop being a people pleaser, stop pretending to be someone or something you are not. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. So who is it that you are trying to impress with your life? God loves you more then you can imagine, and in the end- that is all that really matters. Do what is pleasing to HIM, not what is pleasing to people. The people pleasing trap is so easy to fall into. We were not called to be people pleasers and you will never be able to please everyone anyway.
I spend WAY to much time worrying about what others think of me, trying to please everyone, or impressing people. As a society today we are all about comparing ourselves and seeing how we measure up. As women, wives, and mothers, We compare ourselves to the celebrity who has gone through who knows how many rounds of cosmetic surgery, and wonder why we feel less then beautiful. We compare ourselves to that Pinterest super mom who is artsy, crafty, ultra organized, and cooks gourmet meals. We see other peoples marriages and wonder why ours isn't like that- why doesn't my husband treat me the way her's does? We compare our parenting styles, our children's development. Why do we do this to ourselves?! It all leads to a general sense of dissatisfaction and self centeredness. There are different kinds of self-centered people. There are those who want to get all the attention and their very presence screams look at me, talk about me, I need, I need!- It's obvious that these people are self-centered. Then there are the secretly self-centered. The ones who are constantly thinking about what other people think, they worry about the way they walk, talk, dress, you name it. Outwardly, they can appear to be very humble, but the ultimate focus is still on self.
God created us all to be unique. He gave us each talents and abilities and personalities for different purposes. Our focus should not be on worrying about how we look or measure up to others. We are not here to please people- just God.
Galatians 1:10 Obviously, 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.
People look at the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart ( 1 Samuel 16:7) The Lord wants us to care about others and be genuinely humble. Not false modesty that just makes people pat you on the back - but genuine humility. Putting others before ourselves. Putting God first and foremost in our lives and devoting everything we do to Him for HIS glory- not our own image. Stop playing the comparison game, stop being a people pleaser, stop pretending to be someone or something you are not. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. So who is it that you are trying to impress with your life? God loves you more then you can imagine, and in the end- that is all that really matters. Do what is pleasing to HIM, not what is pleasing to people. The people pleasing trap is so easy to fall into. We were not called to be people pleasers and you will never be able to please everyone anyway.