People pleasing

As God continues to reveal the fleshly nature of my heart, a message arises to the surface.

Growing up as a people pleaser, I recognize just how externally focused I have been in gaining the approval of those around me at the expense of myself.

I wasn’t taught to seek God‘s approval over everyone else’s, but instead, would reject parts of myself to be loved by people who never loved themselves in the first place.

This has led to broken relationships, disappointment, and resentment that could have been completely prevented.

It was never supposed to be that way.

We were never supposed to put pressure on other people to love us because there’s only One who can love us the way we crave it most. He’s the one who gave up His life to prove it before we could ever receive it.

Think about this: how many relationships have you been through, whether that’s marriages, friendships, or romantic relationships, where you were seeking what the other person fell short in giving you?

Now is the best time to turn our eyes to Him and receive what has ALREADY been given freely.

He loves me and you unconditionally, despite our mistakes and shortcomings.

Can we love ourselves that way and overflow that love onto others to live in freedom? 

This message isn't new, but the Lord is repeatedly showing it to me, and I’m sharing it with you if you’ve been in a similar place.

Until we find what we’re looking for in Him alone and accept that security daily, we will only continue to feel disappointment from others as they fall short of giving us the love we crave, which only our Savior on the cross was able to fulfill.

Everything is an idol that we try to put in His place: whether that's a relationship or the desire itself to be loved by others instead of Him. There is a cross-shaped hole only He was meant to fulfill-He did that on purpose from the beginning. 

That’s why His heart hurt when Eve listened to the serpent instead of trusting His Word, trusting that God knew what was best for her. 

That’s why his heart hurt so much when the Israelites sought idols instead of pursuing a relationship with HIm. 

That’s why His heart hurts so much when we still make the same choices every day by loving that which we shouldn’t and become separated from Him as a result. 

Dear reader, is this how you’re living, or are you consciously and intentionally choosing to follow Him?

In our ever-distracted consumer world, it's not easy to keep your eyes on Him, but notice what happens when you do and when you don’t. Life isn’t easy when God is in the center, but there’s definitely more fulfillment in it than when He’s not, isn’t that correct? So why don’t we live like that more often? Because it’s considered weird and countercultural these days to seek His approval instead of that of God, and that breaks His heart.