My daughter came into my room this morning and spotted a reddish container of lip- gloss that had fallen out of my purse. She immediately picked it up. Then, all 4-years of her looked over at me and said, “I have to put this on. I want everyone to see me nice.”
She wanted the girls at her school to see her nice.
We all want to be seen nice, don’t we? We try to put on our best face at get-togethers. We try to hide our nervousness and to soften our points of disagreement. We try to be the person everyone likes.
It is human nature to want to be seen: nice.
But what happens when, despite our best efforts to love, share, or to be honest, something goes horribly kaputz? What do we think in our mind when we tried, yet failed. When we speak and someone is offended? When we aim to apologize but the argument gets heated?
How do we contend when our best efforts go horribly wrong?
Galatians 6 says, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ”.
Something here speaks to me. It says: If my goal highest goal is to ensure man is happy, I will hardly be in service to Christ.
The fact of the matter is while we look at people’s faces, God always looks at hearts. And while we are tallying up what is happening with others, God might be working something fantastically new within them. Face-value reactions are not our guide; the Holy Spirit is.
When we are true to God, he will be true to see the best result through. We, in humility, wait and respond accordingly. Sometimes, it involves an, “I’m sorry,” or “I should have done this better.” All this is okay.
We just move with God, always. And rest in the truth that He has already figured out what we haven’t. And this is peace that feels – nice.
Prayer: God, far more often than not I want to look nice to man. God, help me to have a heart and mind that aims to always look nice to you. Align me with your truth, will and heart. I want all of you and less of what holds me back from you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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Kelly, this is such a timely message. Thanks for sharing! The following except resonates so deeply. “But what happens when, despite our best efforts to love, share, or to be honest, something goes horribly kaputz? What do we think in our mind when we tried, yet failed. When we speak and someone is offended? When we aim to apologize but the argument gets heated?”
Now I know that at such times I must remember, “We just move with God, always. And rest in the truth that He has already figured out what we haven’t. And this is peace that feels – nice.”
Thank you and thank God for such a timely, truth-filled word.
Blessings!
This post is exactly what has been on my heart for the last few months. I’m in a highly competitive sales career and I’m to the point where I’m just tired of having to please everyone. It’s distracting and it’s not where my heart is. My goal for 2018 is to change my focus of pleasing people to pleasing God. Finding that peace.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
I was surprised yesterday to read also that He weighs hearts. Proverbs 24:13.
Out of the mouth of babes … they sound just like us, don’t they! I love this reminder that we need to make our main goal, that of pleasing God.