People Pleasing

I once heard of a mighty king. He had the chiseled body of an athlete. Wide shoulders, muscled arms, and large palms. He could touch the skies with his fingers, young and old looked up to him. He was a lord in castle and warrior in battle. When he moved everyone hastened, when he spoke everyone listened. He was a god to behold.

Then he became conceited and sought his glory. He loved the praises and lived to earn them. He soon forgot to honour the Master, the Almighty God that made him king. He flaunted instructions to please the people. He disobeyed the Lord to earn their praises. The end of that king was a disaster. The Lord rent his kingdom and rejected him. The people also deserted him. He descended from the throne to the grave.

We may shrug our shoulders and call him foolish. But in so many ways we are like this king. Compromising our values to earn praises. Always saying yes against our wishes and going the extra mile to please people. Discomforting ourselves to get approvals and caging our desires to make everyone happy. In so many ways we are like this king. Being conceited, seeking our glory. We want everyone to sing our praises, so we play it safe to gain people’s eulogies.

Most times people disregard us for not standing up for what we believe in. We are taken for granted for not setting healthy boundaries in relationships. We get tossed to and fro for never saying no. We then become angry for never living for ourselves. We feel trampled upon by friends and acquaintances. Soon our repressed emotions either explode or implode and we are left with shame to deal with.

Live for only God’s approval I’ll say. It is for Him alone you live. He will never take you for granted. Set boundaries in relationships I’ll say. You will never be trampled upon. Say no as much as possible, you will never be misused or abused. Live for God. Live for yourself. There’s no better way to live.