January 5, 2018
Be true to who God wants you to be.
We spend too much time trying to impress people, trying to gain their approval, wondering what they’re going to think if we try something new.
Instead of being true to who God wants us to be, we often make decisions based on superficial things. I heard somebody say: At 20 years old, I worried about what everybody thought about me … at 40 years old, I didn’t care what anybody thought … then, at 60, I realized nobody was thinking about me.
What I’m saying is: Don’t worry about what other people think. Be true to who God wants you to be.
I read an interesting report from a hospice nurse. She asked hundreds of people facing death what their biggest regrets were. The number one regret was: “I wish I had been true to myself and not just lived to meet the expectations of others.”
How many people today are not being true to themselves because they’re afraid they may disappoint someone, they may fall out of their good graces, they might not be accepted? I say this respectfully, but you can’t live the life God wants for you … if you are trying to be who your friends want you to be … who the kids at school want you to be … who the guys at work want you to be. You have to be true to who God made you to be.
One day I saw a Bible verse about King David in the Bible. It said, “David fulfilled God’s purpose for his generation.” (Acts 13:36) God made you who you are … to fulfill your purpose in this time, this generation. How can you fulfill God’s purpose for your generation if you let other people squeeze you into their mold?
And, hey, take it from me, you can’t please everybody anyway! It’s like the old country grandpa I heard about. One day he took his grandson into town on a donkey. He started off down the old dirt road letting his grandson ride the donkey – and he walked alongside. Somebody passed by and said, “Look at that selfish boy making that old man walk.”
So he took the boy off. He rode the donkey – and his grandson walked. Somebody came along and said, “Look at that grown man making that little boy walk while he rides.”
So grandpa pulled the boy up with him – and they both started riding the donkey. A few minutes later, another person said, “How cruel of you to place such a heavy load on the donkey.”
By the time they got to town, the grandfather and grandson – were carrying the donkey!
The point is, no matter what you do, you’ll never please everyone. You may as well accept the fact that, even when you do the best you can, someone will find fault with you – and that’s okay. What I always say is: They have a right to their opinion – and I have a right to ignore them. Just be true to who God made you to be.