Are you a people pleaser? Is it more important to you to live according to the standards and opinions of others, instead of living your own truth? The problem with people pleasing is that you eventually lose sight of who you really are. Scripture instructs us that all things were created for Him and by Him (Col. 1:16). With this in mind, our focus should be on living our lives to please God. 

There is great danger in people pleasing. You may just end up like the guys in the story below. As we enter into a new year, I encourage you to break free from people pleasing and like me, experience the freedom that comes with being who God has created you to be.

The Old Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

An old man, a boy , and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked beside him. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and the boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame! He makes that little boy walk.” They then decided they both would walk.

Soon they passed some more people who thought  they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man said they were probably right so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the  animal, and he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?  If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.