We know that it is impossible to please everybody all of the time (well most of us do, logically-speaking), yet we still try to do it!
Why, oh why, do we chase this insanity?

I could give a long answer to that, (but that might be for another blog!) but in essence, we all seek approval. We want to be accepted and thought well of. However, we need to be mindful of whose opinions carry the greatest weight. We are not guaranteed good outcomes if we seek to please others, rather than obey God.

Whatever the root of our desire to please people, here are three things God wants you to know when that temptation to please others pulls on you. 

1. Proverbs 29:25

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

People-pleasing is a trap. The more we do it, the more we end up doing it, and why? Well, because we begin to believe that people will only like us for our “do” and not for our “who”.

However, God is not like that. His love is pure and His motives are pure. Pleasing Him is the only safe way to live.

2. “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Gal 1:10

True friends will lovingly accept our ‘no’ to things just as they would a ‘yes’. True friends want us to obey what the Lord is asking of us, rather than what they are asking of us.

3. “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

People pleasing often leads us to compromise in some way. We may compromise what we know is right. We may compromise our health (overdoing things, stress, time). We may compromise the health of other relationships. We may compromise our purpose (giving our time to things we are not called to and not having time to invest in what we are called to). We may compromise our integrity. And we may even compromise the well-being of the person we’re trying to please (ever heard of the term enabling?).


Remember our chief preoccupation is as the shorter catechism says: To worship God by enjoying Him forever.

Our chief purpose is to love Him and abide with Him.
Our place of peace will only be found in pleasing Him with loving trust and obedience. Anything else may give temporary peace, but longer-term turmoil.

“When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Prov 16:7

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” 2 Cor 5:9