Living For God’s Approval

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, NIV)

Do you ever worry too much about other people’s opinions? Maybe you wrestle with what other moms think about your parenting. Or maybe your parent or grandparent seems to judge you. Or maybe that inner voice of your past questions if you’ll ever truly measure up as a mom. At times all of us can struggle with living for people’s approval instead of living for God’s approval.

Even the apostle Paul acknowledged that we can teeter-totter between longing for God’s approval and wanting to feel significant in someone else’s eyes. It is tempting to let people and their opinions matter more than they really should. We can worry too much about what they think, whether they approve of us, or what we need to do for them to accept us.

This is a dangerous trap though, isn’t it?

It is far better to draw our strength from God’s approval—to know that in Christ we are fully accepted, fully loved, and fully secure. We have in Him what no one can take away. When honoring Him with our lives matters most to us, other people’s acceptance matters less. I love how Thomas à Kempis put it: “Do not be too concerned about who is with you or who is against you, but do be careful that God may be with you in everything you do.”

If you are a people-pleaser, remember your top priority is to please God. At the end of our lives, we won’t stand before others; we’ll stand before God. His assessment, approval, and acceptance will be the only things that matter. Don’t let people be bigger than they really are.

Prayer:

Father, help me find my acceptance and approval in You alone. Teach me to value Your opinion of me more than I value the opinion of others. Guard my heart from wanting to please people more than I want to please You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Why is living for people’s approval dangerous to your soul?
• In what aspect of your motherhood are you most tempted right now to live for people’s approval more than God’s approval?