What will people think?

One of the largest battlefields in the war of life concerns identity and acceptance. No one wants to be picked last for a game of soccer, or never asked for a date, or rejected at job interviews. Politicians run for office wanting to change the world yet those votes affirm their value. Tozer says this desire to please people deeply implanted within us and asks how it can be uprooted to shift our life-drive from pleasing others to pleasing God? Fear of what people will think of us or do to us is a constant Bible theme.

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:13–17)

Tozer’s answer to shifting our life-drive is not by doing it alone, or with the help of others, or by education or by training. He says this requires is a reversal of nature, a supernatural act.

My analytical mind processes his answer this way . . .

Sin brings a sense of guilt, of not measuring up. While the human heart might not realize that “all fall short of the glory of God” that sense of falling short is there. Because of it, the human heart, either in ignorance of God’s remedy or in rejection of it, tries to rid itself of this undercurrent of guilt. Many methods are used from doing as much good as possible to making as many friends as possible. The idea is that human acceptance will make this sense of guilt less real and less important. However, the more we apply our human solutions, the greater becomes our sense of it. Those efforts wind up a vicious circle because they do not work.

The only solution is dealing with the guilt by acknowledging our sin and seeking forgiveness and cleansing. He is the only one who can wash it away and He does it by a total acceptance of us, just as we are.

Why then do Christians still struggle with people-pleasing as the above verses suggest? Herein is the rub and the battlefield. My spiritual enemy tells me in a myriad of ways that God does not really love me. I am challenged by this lie continually and every time I fall for it, I want love affirmed. A call from a friend, a text from someone who is praying for me, anything that jogs my illogical thinking back to the reality of God’s amazing love. If that does not happen, instead of turning to God in trust and confessing my faith lapse, I might try people-pleasing, fish for a complement, anything to make sure I am accepted, anything that might give that sense of being unacceptable a push out the door.

^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, Your work is gracious assurance. You have a host of ways to show me I am being duped into trying to please others instead of putting my focus where it belongs. The bottom line is that You do love me even though the sense of that love will always be tested. However, because You died for me and because that is a done deal, Your love is a done deal, established at Calvary, established forever. There is no need to be worried about ‘what will people think’ because what You think is the measure of all things.