When people meet you for the first time, what do they see? What do friends and family see?

How we express ourselves is an outward expression of who we are inside as individuals.

Part of this is our personality, which has developed over the years and was rooted when we were young and impressionable. Some of it was formed by events or tragedies we have experienced.

Who we perceive ourselves to be might be totally different from how people actually see us.

How do we know what others see?

Without actually talking to them about it, we won’t really know. We may have a good idea, depending on how they converse with us, react, and what they do around us.

We always want people to say good things about us, but the reality is that there are just some people out there who think you’re disgusting and a waste of life.

The lesson I have learned here is, first of all, I am not going to please or get along with everybody. Secondly, the only one who matters or cares about who you are is God.

We can spend countless hours, days, months, and years trying to please people. All we are really doing is wasting valuable time and effort and making ourselves miserable doing it, ultimately having no joy in the end.

God doesn’t want us to live that way. He wants us to focus on what’s important, and that is drawing closer to Him.

Instead of putting forth the effort into getting people to like us, let’s refocus our efforts towards Christ.

With Christ, we don’t have to set out to prove anything because He already knows more about us than we know about ourselves. There is nothing we can do that will surprise Him. We can be ourselves, with all our faults and inconsistencies, and Christ will love us anyway.

This is the unspeakable joy you get after you become a disciple of Christ.

God wants to use you just as you are. He has accepted you; He already knows what weaknesses you have. He knows your strong attributes. He has a special plan just for you. His plan is going to require work on your part, and you are going to have to get through and persevere through some rough times, but you will also enjoy times of peaceful and relaxing rest.

In life, all that matters is your commitment to God, regardless of what anyone else thinks or sees you to be.

You are a child of The One True King. He is the only one you need to please. God will take care of everything else.