Unfollow the Noise

Sociopaths aside, I don't think that there's a one of us who doesn't want to have great relationships. In part, that involves meeting other people's expectations, which is fine up to a point. But when we cross that line to become a people-pleaser, life becomes miserable indeed – because they're a fickle crowd out there. You simply can't please all people, all the time. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a dutiful wife, mother, and pastor's daughter in 19th-century America. She lived in a culture that strongly expected women to be silent, domestic, and compliant, especially when it came to political or moral controversy. Harriet initially conformed, writing safe literature and avoiding confrontation, particularly on divisive issues like slavery. But when the Fugitive Slave Act forced Americans to return escaped slaves, she could no longer remain silent. Abandoning approval, she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that shook a nation and stirred abolitionist passion across the globe. In leaving behind the need to please, Harriet found her voice — and changed history. When has the need to please others silenced you, subjugated you, stopped you from speaking the truth? Writes the Apostle Paul: Galatians 1:10 Now do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No, God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Paul draws a line here: the opinions of people who oppose or misunderstand God's calling on your life really don't matter. What matters is God's approval, and the support of those who genuinely love you and walk in the Spirit will align with that. In short, the people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.