How many times have we heard, “Be yourself. Don’t be a people-pleaser”?
It’s great advice. Living to please others is a certain path to all sorts of mental health issues.
Now, place that next to Monday’s quote and the idea that how I behave is the most powerful sermon I’ll ever preach. How can I “be myself” if I believe others decide who Jesus is based on my actions?
It’s the sort of question I turn over and over in my head on long bike rides.
On a bike trail, you see a pretty wide range of folks. The homeless guys I talked about last week. Cyclists on expensive, high-tech bikes. Families and little kids, some walking, some tottering along on tiny bikes. Elderly folks out for a stroll. And I’ll confess, my tendency is to crank along in my own little world, pretty much ignoring everyone else. In other words, being myself.
Just recently, I started asking if that’s how Jesus would do it. Would he just ignore the people he encountered?
You and I know the answer. So, I started trying to greet people. Mostly just “Howdy” and other small talk, complementing and encouraging kids when I could, making a special point to greet the homeless folks I encounter, who mostly get ignored – or worse.
Does it make a difference? No idea. It’s one of those places I have to trust Jesus for the outcome, because I can’t possibly know the impact.
I do know, however, I’m wearing a jersey with a cross displayed on the sleeve. And I know in today’s culture there’s a good deal of conflict about what that cross represents.
I didn’t change my behavior to be a people-pleaser. I did it because I want to follow Jesus.
Perhaps that’s the key – I want “being myself” and “following Jesus” to become more aligned.