The People Pleasing Trap

When’s the last time you were misunderstood? It happened to Jesus all the time. When Jesus healed a blind man, both Jesus and the man who was healed were misunderstood. When the religious leaders asked the blind man if he thought Jesus was a sinner or not, he replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25). He refused to defend himself. He simply spoke the truth.

Do not be surprised when you are misunderstood. Remember—it is God whom we serve first, not man. Everyone will not always understand us when we obey the Lord. Jesus and His apostles were misunderstood many times. In fact, Paul, the apostle, writes, Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

Pleasing God must be our top priority. If we desire to please people rather than God, we become ineffective in our walk with Christ. When I was baptized with the Holy Spirit, many people misunderstood—even well-meaning people. There have been times when I led people to faith in Christ, that their friends and family members have been upset at me. This is the price we may have to pay as believers in Jesus who are called to love and minister to others. The early apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Remember, we are all called to be kind and compassionate to others (Eph. 4:32), but we cannot please everyone. Our focus must be to please the Lord, not people. Avoid the people pleasing trap.