Fear

Galatians 1:10-"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." (NASB)

I constantly find myself in need of this verse. So many times, just in 2010, I have been shown my fear of man. It has become evident especially in the last couple months of the semester. I have seen over and over again how much I care about what people think. In some ways, I really do not care. But there are some things that I constantly struggle with when it comes to fear of man. I shared with my small group (which consisted of my RA Lynsi, friend Kayla, and myself) how God has really been working in that area of my life. My friend Christian and I are praying about what God would have us do, and it looks like we will become more than "just friends" soon. This has opened my eyes to a whole new area of my life where I see a fear of man. Who am I trying to please? My friends, his friends, people we do not even know? What would the point of that be? If we try to please people, we will fail, because not everyone will be pleased by the same things. When we try to please God, no one else, or their opinion, matters.

Steve Lawson, when he came as a chapel speaker to my school, summed it up better than I ever could have. He said, "If you please Christ, it doesn't matter who you displease. If you displease Christ, it doesn't matter who you please."

I wonder...do I spend half the time I spend thinking about/trying to please men, trying to please God? If I spent that much time trying to please God and forgetting about pleasing men, how different would my life be?