Not caught in the middle.

The words you are about to read have been scrolling through my mind for the past several weeks like the screen credits at the end of a film. Never ending. If I had roommates, I would probably have less time to think, which at times would probably be a good thing. All of that aside, my hope is that these words would help someone to live in the freedom we enter into as children of the King.

I would never openly admit that I am a people pleaser, but I will admit that so many times, more often than not, I have tried so hard to gain the approval of others. When someone I greatly respect or admire looks down upon my writing or the things that I share on social media, I take it personal. It took a long time for me to finally realize that not everyone will support you, not everyone will believe in you, and not everyone will like you. And, that’s okay.

Yet, somewhere between trying to be somebody and following my calling, I realized that it doesn’t matter what other people think about me, because plainly put, this life isn’t about me. I realized that my focus had been too much on myself, and while it was a hard realization, it was a necessary one. When this truth hit me in college, I crumbled. There was so much of me that was trying to find fulfillment/validation through the approval of others that I lost sight of God’s vision for my life. This humbling experience was the most freeing & transformative moment in my walk with God. If we are to live the true Christian life, it’s something daily that we have to submit into God’s hands.

C.S. Lewis states, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” 

I remember a moment in my life when God spoke very clearly.
“Are you trying to get people to follow you or are you trying to get people to follow Me?” Because, when you are living your life to try to get people to follow Jesus, instead of making your own name known, you will receive resistance, you will receive negative comments and you will receive hate. That very much goes against what our hearts would like to receive from others, especially in a social media tech savvy world where likes satisfy both our social and psychological needs (thanks, Uses and Gratifications theory).

In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

In order to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves. We must deny the voices within that seek approval through successes and likes and book purchases (that one’s for me), and pats on the back from strangers and friends. Jesus accepts you for who you are, but will you truly accept Him?  There is nothing that you must do to gain His approval. Once you take on the name of Christ, your mission is to make His name known, even if the crowd mocks you, rejects you, and isolates you from the cool kids club. The true modern day church and true Christianity thinks not less of ourselves but thinks of ourselves less. Thanks, C.S. Lewis for that daily reminder. Our mission is to propel the gospel into every area of our lives, without a second thought of how that will make us viewed as cool and acceptable to those around us. True Christianity reveals truth, it does not seek popularity.

I always remember reading Luke 14:26 and feeling a little confused after. The scriptures read, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple.” What in the world does this mean? (especially since the greatest commandment is to love, right?)

In context, the word hatred does not mean to literally hate everyone and life itself, but to make sure that everything in your life is yielded first to the LORD. The cost of being a disciple is surrendering the weaknesses of my flesh, my personality(do not use your personality as an excuse for your behavior), my past and present, my opinions and strong ideas to the complete and absolute will of God. If we make it our daily priority to truly put God first and yield ourselves to His plan, then we really won’t care about what others think. When we deny ourselves, we won’t feel like we are torn between two parents, because we will know that Abba’s word is the most living and truest thing in our lives. When doubts, frustrations, negativity, and low self esteem tries to cloud our vision, we will hear the love of the Father instead, who reminds us that we are made perfect in His image. We don’t have to perfect a certain image, we don’t have to work our way into His will, we don’t have to talk to a psychologist and fear that our conversation will result in God being angry with us. He wants us to be honest and He beckons us to approach Him with all concerns, worries, and emotions that we face in our day to day lives.

I am thankful that my worth and acceptance in this life is not found in my financial status, my pedigree, my vocation, my education, my achievements, or my cooking (because God knows I would be a laughing stock for days. I’m trying. I really am trying.)

Social media, at times, has clouded a lot of people’s heartbeat to be found in the steady approval, high platforms and pleasing words from others. It feels good to be approved by many. (Don’t believe me. There’s this chemical in our brain called dopamine and it fuels this need/addiction for validation/uses and gratification. Look it up. It’s quite interesting. You don’t need to pay $120,000 to study the subject. I already did that for the both of us at University, so please use your free resources. Your bank account will thank you.) We seek the sight of many, when the reality is that our photographs, our art, our voices, our work, only needs to be approved by One. When you live with the hope of only pleasing One, God alone, then at the end of the day, when your life’s film credits are rolling, it won’t matter what the people say, who comments, or who clicks the follow button.

I live in victory knowing that my life pleases the One who breathed life into me, who encourages me daily to keep writing, and who tells me to keep carrying this gospel into my workplace, into my online community, and into my family, even if others hit the dislike button. Let us take up our crosses daily, and remember that we are playing for an audience of One. (Ann Voskamp has some great words on that thought!) Because, when you live to please One, the world will see God through you. And, that is my hope for you and I. Let us speak the truth even if our voice shakes, and let us be hopeful even when our world tries to bring us down. We don’t have to be caught in the middle, for it is the words of Jesus that governs our life. Anything else is contrary and not up for debate. So, don’t be fearful. You, my friend, have an incredible God cheering you on.