Bible Passage: “On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 NIV)
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Lots of people claim to suffer deeply from the affliction of people-pleasing. It’s nearly a pandemic. Despite the recognition of the issue and the many cures proposed, the chronic condition persists.
It’s nice to pretend that men are immune to such displays of dependence and neediness. I AM AN ISLAND! Our inner sense of self screams as we smile and enthusiastically agree to the next request. We want approval as much as the next person.
We won’t overplay it; service, and even sacrificial service, is a noble thing. However, we can stretch too far in our acquiescence, thinking that the good opinion of our boss, our neighbor, pastor, friend…is vital to our well-being.
Paul boldly proclaims that he is, in fact, immune to such concerns. The vaccination against such plagues is a sense of mission and the knowledge that God sees what we can hide from others—entrusted to spread the Gospel in the service of the God who tests the heart.
A sense of mission, our vocation (our jobs), and avocation (where we spend our time) offer us focus that borders on tunnel vision. When we know what we are called to do and who is taking into account, we can put on the healthy blinders that allow us to ignore others’ opinions rather than chase them.
The pursuit is just as deliberate, just as driving and consuming, but the subject whose approval we are chasing shifts dramatically. When men try to please everyone, we are tossed and pulled in too many directions. We subject ourselves to the whims of others and come unmoored from the security that singularity of direction gives.
Serving God out of the motivation to please Him (He is weighing that—it’s the plain meaning of “tests our hearts”) muffles the inner voice that badgers us to please anyone, everyone else, make them have a good opinion of us.
When the effort to be the man everyone likes, to ensure that we get good opinions, leaves us beaten and worn, turning our focus to serving God, the one who sees and tests our hearts, creates a calm, quiet peace in the middle of the storm.
Prayer: God, thank You that You know me and can see my heart, even though I know what You see is not always good. Help me focus on serving You rather than seeking acceptance and acknowledgment from others. Amen.
Reflection: Whose good opinion are you pursuing? Why?
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