Peer-rejection does crooked things to a young girl’s heart. It makes her crave acceptance and approval to the exclusion (and the erasure) of being able to be herself. Who God created her to be.
Rejection implanted messages in my thoughts and my heart. Messages that told her approval comes from acting a certain way, the way the “popular people” acted. Which often compromised who I was internally.
As I read these words from my friend, Jeanne Takenaka, my heart sank into a place of familiarity as I realized I could be this girl. Jeanne’s description of a young girl’s willingness to accept approval from the world is a story that replays over and over in myself.
We live in a world that tells us who we should be and what we should look like in order to fit in. We forget approval is fleeting when chosen by worldly standards. Our identities are not our own and instead are compromised by a world that does not really love us.
For the next six weeks, I am honored to walk side by side with Emily Conrad and Jeanne Takenaka as we untangle our identities from people and perfection. We are three women who walk this narrow path and find we have not found the true voice of approval until we have found God.
I hope you will join us for the next six weeks until November 8th as we walk this journey together.
You will find Jeanne’s beautiful offering right here. Click on the link to read her words about people pleasing.
In grace and peace,
I love the way you summarize the series: “We have not found the true voice of approval until we have found God.” Truth, beautifully put 🙂
Who among us hasn’t had to grapple with the awful trap of people-pleasing. Can’t wait to see how the 3 of you kindred spirits weave your hearts together to share your stories, your learnings, His grace in the midst of complex relationships and the deep needs of our hearts.
Blessings as you do so …
Just read Jeanne’s post a few minutes ago and this looks like it will be a great series. People-pleasing is something I’ve struggled with a lot and am definitely still working on.
This will be a great, much-needed series, Mary. Thank you! I’m looking forward to more. Blessings and hugs!
Hi Mary! What fun to be involved with two other like-minded women! Peer pressure isn’t just for teenagers anymore. Women of all ages can get tripped up in people pleasing, until grace teaches that we only need to please the Lord.
May God lead you to new insights and deepening friendships with your sisters,
Ceil
Really looking forward to reading truth from this beautiful “cord of three strands.”
So interesting how this has been a theme lately for many writers (and one I’ve been hyper-sensitive to as my year has been about getting routed in my identity in Christ–and at one time I wasn’t even sure who I was at all and what I believed, which I now realize was the perfect place to be to get to to understand Christ in me and grace). Maybe God’s building something here, in this time, so we’ll be ready for something that’s coming up around the corner…
It’s going to be a great series, Mary. I look forward to it (and already read Jeanne’s opening essay).
For what it’s worth (as you might gather if you glance at the comment I left at Jeanne’s place) I found a different road – one upon which I cared naught for what anyone thought, and reacted forcefully to criticism. Not the best way,perhaps. But it worked for the most important parts of my life.