May the mumbling commence!
You can please all of the people some of the time (quite rarely, in fact). You can please some of the people all the time (I am still looking for these kinds of people). But you will never please all of the people all of the time.
Being a leader – whether it’s in the faith or in politics – means making choices that will not be popular with people. Leadership can be a hard life. Sometimes, no matter how a leader chooses there will be some who will cry foul.
So, why try to please people? It is in our DNA. Many of us build our self-esteem upon pleasing others. I am one who does. It is a shaky foundation to build self-esteem.
Why not try to please God? The standards are astronomically high. Most of the time (dare I say all of the time) we have an epic failure. But, there is Good News. Jesus has paid the price. Jesus is our safety net as we extend ourselves to please God.
If we do not strive to please God and attempt to please people, we will be like wheat blowing in the wind. We will be like seaweed dislodged by a wave. We will be forced to act in the art of deception – the art of Satan. Read from Galatians chapter two:
Later, however, when Peter came to Antioch I had to oppose him publicly, for he was then plainly in the wrong. It happened like this. Until the arrival of some of James' companions, he, Peter, was in the habit of eating his meals with the Gentiles. After they came, he withdrew and ate separately from the Gentiles – out of sheer fear of what the Jews might think. The other Jewish Christians carried out a similar piece of deception, and the force of their bad example was so great that even Barnabas was affected by it. (Verses 11-13)
Peter was trying to please God by having full fellowship with Gentiles. He even ate with them. But, when people from James’ camp came, they reverted to eating separately from Gentiles. Peter was fearful of what these other Jews might think of their practices with the Gentile people.
This people-pleasing action cuts badly in at least two different ways.
One, what would the Gentiles think about the cessation of table fellowship? Perhaps they began to doubt their part in the kingdom of God. That would be at the least bad at the worst devastating. Whatever trust that had begun to form was broken. It would be a long road back.
Two, Peter and the others – including other prominent leaders like Barnabas – were deceiving the people from James’ camp. Lies will not last forever. A liar has to have a perfect memory. Sooner or later James’ companions would discover the truth of the matter.
The division over relations to non-Jews would still come. Why let it fester? Why prolong it? If we do so, it will only make the situation worse.
Truth in action and love in action are important. Communication is also right up there. We need to hash out any differences that we might have so that we can discern the will of God together. It will mean learning the art of compromise. It will mean no one will be fully happy. It will also mean that our chances are greater for pleasing God.
To please God, to praise God, to thank God, to worship God is what we are made for.
Let’s try for truth in all our dealings. And may the glory of the Lord we our rearguard. May the glory of the Lord light our path one step at a time.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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