As a Christian wife, you will be watched and even judged. Some women consider this to be a negative aspect of being a Christian or of being in ministry, and either they resent it and give up, or, in most cases, they become consumed with trying to please people. Neither response is pleasing to the Lord!
Pleasing Others
Friend, living your life constantly trying to please others is a good formula for insanity! We’ve all heard the saying, “You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time!” How true that statement is! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare.” Please remember that just because others are watching, you don’t have to live your entire life pleasing them! Instead, realize that God has given you the privilege of influence. You have the joyful opportunity to influence others for God because you are being watched so closely!
Perhaps you have become discouraged or apathetic because you know you cannot live up to everyone’s expectations. Many Christian wives take an “I don’t care” or “I’ll do what I want” approach to life and ministry, failing to understand the incredible opportunity given to them by God. When you are tempted to become resentful because you think God or others have asked too much of you, remember: “I am in this place because God has put me here. He will adequately enable me to fulfill my role in a way that pleases Him.” Let me encourage you—do not sacrifice the privilege of influence on the altar of self-centeredness!
Pleasing God
Our ultimate, driving motivation in life and ministry should be to please Christ—not others. His watchful eyes are the ones that matter! We read earlier that the fear of man brings a snare, but we see in Proverbs 14:26 that “in the fear of the LORD is strong confidence”! What an encouragement! We can be confident in our lives and in our service to Christ as we seek to please Him alone.
I like to read Galatians 1:10 every so often: “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” This verse serves as a checkpoint for my motivations in ministry as I ask myself, “Am I doing this act of service to please men or am I truly striving to be a servant of Christ?” Remember that others may judge you, but you will not give an account to them for how you’ve lived your life! You will give an account to God.
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.—1 Corinthians 4:3–4
This article is an excerpt from the book It’s a Wonderful Life, by Mrs. Terrie Chappell