Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

Do not strive to win the approval of others. Don’t even dare please men. Don’t think about it but rather gain the confidence of God. Being a servant of the Lord requires you to “wow” the Master with your character, work, and relationships.

Oftentimes, we forget how to be humble. In this day and age of social networks–Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram–it is so easy to show off what we love, hate, and have. Other people would say it’s not showing off but a way to inspire others to work hard and reach for their dreams. (True story. I saw this in an Instagram profile.)

There is nothing wrong with doing this. I would be a hypocrite if I say I don’t post the things I love, have, and still want. Why do I do that? I don’t really know. I guess I want to share the things that make me happy.

I smile at pretty stuff and pretty sights. I sometimes hope to bring a smile to those who will see my posts whether they are my new purchase or anything that has to do with my toddler. But really, do people care? I also don’t know. I just know that there are a few who’d say, “She went shopping again…” or “She’s wasting her husband’s money…“.

I have no intention to brag. I guess I want the world to know that I am not behind the curve just because I am a stay-at-home-mom. Self-pity often comes. More often than not, it’s me saying, “I am blessed by my Boss–God.”

I still earn my own money. This I can say with pride, and only because of His Grace– that I use my own shopping money. Of course, husband and I still have a concept of community. “What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine. Haha. Just kidding on the latter.

But does that really matter? That I earn or that I have things? Do I really want people to notice how God has blessed me and my family? Admit it, we are guilty of showing off at times.

Do you want people to see that you are not behind a trend? What do you and I gain from all these things? They are meaningless.

What is true humility? How can I stay humble? How can people see Christ more in my life? These are the questions I now ask.

I hope and pray that people see more of Who is in my heart– Jesus. That people notice my attitude and that I have hope, faith, and love– that I have an inner peace. The kind of peace that passes all understanding.

There is nothing wrong about wanting nice things. I only hope and pray that I keep things in perspective. And I hope that people are drawn to the real me–my inner beauty—Christ in me.

 If I have to “brag” about myself, I’ll brag about the humiliations that make me like Jesus.
2 Corinthians 11:30 (The Message)

You and me—the world can be so focused on material things that it can be a challenge not to be that way.  It can be difficult to be humble. But we have Jesus as a model of true humility.

Grateful to the Lord for all the blessings. May I be the kind of person now that people will see special because of the One who owns me.

May I strive to showcase more of what God has done in this world, His Word applied in my life, and the Truth revealed in me.