Confessions of a People Pleaser

I'm a people pleaser.

Welcome to my battlefield. I care about what people think about me. I pretend like I can fix everything to make it better so no one looks down on me. I get upset when someone legitimately dislikes me. Yes, it's a little embarrassing. My face is red just typing it.

I know I'm not alone in this battle though. It's just that no one wants to be vulnerable enough to admit that they struggle too.

Somewhere within each person is a natural desire to make someone happy. It's not about being fake, because there's authenticity in pleasing someone out of love, but the tricky part lies in when we begin pleasing the world out of fear for judgement, persecution, or reputation. There are those of you gifted with the carefree attitude of not caring what anyone thinks, and those of us who care a far greater amount. My father is in the first category- We fondly call him the Captain, and I love him with all my heart. He was a captain in the Air Force during the Vietnam war, and was a commercial airline pilot for almost 30 years, so he faced his fair share of conflict. A visible quality of his is that he leads a life worthy of the calling of Christ, and doesn't let mere opinions or snide comments bring him down. He knows and is aware certain comments and opinions are not of Christ, and literally lets them roll of his shoulders. Now, I'm sure it's not always that easy for him- I'm sure comments sting every once and a while, but he doesn't let them become his stumbling blocks in his walk for the Lord. He keeps going, keeping his eyes on what the LORD says, not what the WORLD says.

Christ modeled the same life during His time on earth.

He was
mocked
judged
spit on
challenged
cursed at
degraded
questioned
beaten
nailed to a Cross.
for the jewish priest. for the prostitute. for his mother, brother, friend. for a stranger. for those who screamed for him to die. for those that cried for him to live.
for us.

He lived a transparent life for all to see, never fearing that someone would judge Him, or heaven forbid, think badly about Him. The benefit of that came in His faithful action of listening to God's calling to die on the Cross for us, and following through with it. Imagine what would have happened had he let the world dictate His life. What would our lives look like if we modeled our lives after Him? I believe more of God's work would actually get done if we tuned out the distractions hindering us. I love what Paul writes in Galatians 1:10,

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." 

I've spent my whole life desiring to please the world, and it's exhausting. I wasn't blessed to get my father's genes, but I do have a heavenly Father who created a Son that lived to please only His Father. I want my life to reflect Him. Our lives don't have to be about pleasing the world. That's such a relief to me. If we think that God can't conquer our problems, fears, or insecurities, then His death on the cross was for nothing. He died for a greater purpose.

  "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

"But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."                             1 Thessalonians 2:4

So let's start over.

Hi, I'm Britta. I'm not perfect, nowhere near it. But I'm striving to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ, because He is worthy.