We all enjoy getting approval from others, but we don’t need it in order to have self-worth. And in fact, people pleasing can cause us to lose self-worth. We can turn ourselves inside out for others, and just when we think we’ve succeeded, they change their minds. Besides robbing us of our peace of mind, people pleasing makes it impossible for us to follow God’s direction – we end up following someone else’s will rather than His. Breaking the habit of people pleasing isn’t easy. It requires us to face what we fear and ask God for the courage to follow through. David said, ‘I know…you are with me.…I…am not afraid. No one can harm me.’ When it comes to people pleasing, there are two things we need to remember: 1) Breaking the cycle means risking rejection by saying no when others expect to hear yes. When people are used to meek, compliant responses, they’ll react negatively until they get used to our new attitude. This will feel intimidating at first, but it’s the first step to freedom from the pressure of always trying to earn people’s approval. 2) We might have to explain to others that in the past we looked for their approval because we felt insecure, but that’s no longer the case. The important thing is to act now! Breaking any habit involves temporary discomfort, but the only other option is to spend life feeling trapped. We can choose to suffer short term on the way to freedom, or long term by continuing to struggle to please others. Today, make the choice to break free from people pleasing.

What Now?

Spend some time today asking God to help you have the courage to say no if someone asks you to do something that goes against His directions.