Glory

It’s interesting how many of our choices are dictated by others, isn’t it? I mean, as free as we like to think we are, we all take several factors, people and institutions into account whenever we make a choice. Even something as small as what we might wear on a given day might be dictated by what our coworkers will think. And even more, the relational decisions of how we respond to people is often determined by things outside of us.
And what I mean is that acceptance is often conditional. We choose to forgive only when the other person admits they’re wrong and asks for forgiveness, don’t we? Or only choose to let things go when someone appears to be sorry for what they’ve done. Or we show kindness to people as long as they act or live according to a standard that we’ve set for them. Or we give acceptance to people only when they are in line with our worldview or way of thinking. And that’s just exhausting, isn’t it?
But the interesting thing about approval is that doing what we think others want us to do isn’t going to get us very far. I think most of us, as we age, increasingly realize that there has got to be a better way of living than trying to get the approval of others. Frustratingly, though, I also think that no matter how old we get, that desire for approval is always present. That desire to be loved and accepted by others is ingrained is us.
But, as followers of Jesus, we know that our ultimate approval must come from God. And even though we know it, we often struggle to live it out, don’t we? Instead of pursuing and holding tight to those things that we know will give us God’s approval, we will do what those around us pressure us to do or we set aside our convictions to get other’s approval. And that tension is there with God. We know we should hold loosely those things that are important to us and others but not as important to God while holding tightly to God’s truth. And there’s the balance of being convicted of God’s plan with being open minded to areas of life God wants us to grow.
And there’s no quick answer to the tension except this: humility. And, honestly, I struggle with that. I have some very strong convictions, as well as an innate desire to argue, that can create conflict very easily. And so, I constantly try to hear God’s voice, especially in the Bible. I try to listen to others around me well, especially if they disagree, to see if I missed something. And it is in that attempt to be humble where God’s greatest approval comes in. I pray we can practice more humility. God bless.