Freedom and personal convictions can be a tricky thing for some. You don’t want to step on too many toes in this politically correct world, but you still have to maintain some sense of identity and standing by who you are and what you believe. Personally, I want to get along and connect with as many people as possible “in order that some might be saved” as Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians.
People pleasing has some interesting perspectives of its own. Some live by this because they feel the burden to be a peacekeeper. They hate seeing conflict, especially when the drama of life directly impacts them! Others don’t care at all about people, their thoughts, and opinions. I’m not sure how this will work out in the long haul with favor and connection with people, I’m simply stating the other extreme of those that aren’t people pleasers.
Personally, I believe that people pleasing has a place, particularly in relating with people and building relationship with them. It comes back to the motivation behind it in the first place. One can be a people pleaser because they fear the thoughts of others. It is almost as those opinions matter than the reality and truth that God wants to speak into our lives. On the flip side, one can be motivated to be a people pleaser because they want to be communicators and bringers of freedom.
These individuals are motivated by spiritual rescue. It is at the heartbeat of what they do! Love becomes their main motivator. They themselves are free and practice freedom. They may even error on the side of freedom as to not step on one’s constricting convictions.
Much can be made of this. We can’t say enough about the importance of freedom that everyone needs and craves for in their lives. I am constantly wanting and needing it in my own heart. I want to bring the freedom that I experience to others. I don’t want to bring my own constraining personal convictions on to others. That becomes forceful, judgmental, distasteful, and even convicting. But I still wrestle with this reality! I wrestle with leaning this way instead of practicing and living in freedom. It is for freedom’s sake that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). I know this, but sometimes it takes some time to sink in.
The most joyfilled people and content people that I know are the ones that are free to simply be themselves in Jesus. I want to be familiar with the work of His freedom, for it is the fruit of the work of God – specifically the Holy Spirit. I would rather error on this side instead of being massively conservative to the point of constricting the life out of things.
Let’s be bringers of freedom and bearers of it. As a result it will bring joy and contentment in life because life exists in it. What do you think? How can you live in freedom today? How can your life bring more freedom to others?
Go get ’em.
Jay