{"id":31282,"date":"2022-09-10T15:24:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/when-you-struggle-with-people-pleasing-in-ministry\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:24:13","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:24:13","slug":"when-you-struggle-with-people-pleasing-in-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/when-you-struggle-with-people-pleasing-in-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"When You Struggle With People Pleasing in Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Austin Mabe photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Jenny Whitaker<\/em><\/p>\n

Who do you work to please?<\/p>\n

I know the \u201cchurch answer,\u201d and we\u2019ll get to that, but at the end of any given day, who are the ones you really<\/em> aim to please?<\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s my pastor (I serve as the children and family ministry director at our church), my husband, our kids, parents and families in our kids ministry, editors, and, yes, sometimes even strangers (why I finally decided to take a break from social media).<\/p>\n

If you know a people pleaser in ministry, check on them. We are not<\/em> okay. In ministry, there are a lot of people to please, and on a good<\/em> day, there are a variety of ways to please them, which is a lot to keep up with.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest, though: Until recently, being a people pleaser in ministry seemed to work (even if it shouldn\u2019t have). The truth is\u2014or was\u2014if I could simply make enough people happy enough of the time, things were good.<\/p>\n

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But now we\u2019re in the middle of a pandemic, where being a people pleaser and<\/em> a ministry leader are no longer compatible.<\/p>\n

People pleasing has been a battle of the flesh I\u2019ve fought for years. There are seasons when the battle has left a wake of destruction and depression, and other seasons when there have been more victories than defeats.<\/p>\n

So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and ministry leadership\u2014leadership of any kind, really\u2014became a role that required me to abandon all hope of people pleasing, I wasn\u2019t surprised that I felt paralyzed.<\/p>\n

Here are some Scriptures that have helped me keep moving forward as a ministry leader, and face each day with courage, hope, and peace.<\/p>\n

1. Colossians 3:23 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

This is not an unfamiliar verse, but somehow, for me, it carries more weight now than it ever did before. I began praying that this would be true in my life and sharing this truth with anyone who would listen\u2014especially fellow ministry leaders.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re doing this work for anyone other than Jesus right now, we won\u2019t survive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to become personal punching bags, there\u2019s spiritual warfare being waged, and we\u2019re not exempt from that warfare. We keep working even though much of what we are doing right now seems to be unsuccessful and unfruitful, and it feels overwhelmingly like if we do one thing we\u2019ll lose another.<\/p>\n

Considering all of this, people pleasers will inevitably be brought to our knees.<\/p>\n

2. Romans 8:26-27<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIn the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.\u201d  <\/em><\/p>\n

I bet you\u2019re expecting verse 28 but stay with me. This passage brought an unexpected word of application into my life about my posture as I approach the work God has called me to do as a ministry leader.<\/p>\n

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See also  8 Ways to Persevere in Ministry<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It helped me to consider that perhaps on my knees is right where God wants me to be right now. I\u2019ve always known that being a people pleaser was a weakness, but it was easy to conceal as a strength until COVID-19.<\/p>\n

We can claim the promise, know the hope, do the things, and still miss the good God has for us by believing that our good\u2014even when reduced by a pandemic\u2014will be enough. It won\u2019t. It was never meant to be.<\/p>\n

Prayer reminds us of our position, which can help us move from paralysis to perseverance.<\/p>\n

3. Romans 8:28<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here is some good news: God is the One who causes all things to work together for good. Not us. That\u2019s where we\u2019re set free\u2014from success or failure, pleasing or disappointing, gaining or losing. In this pandemic, we\u2019re finally free to do what we were always meant to do.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t still struggling, but that\u2019s why these three verses are so important to me right now, and I hope they will also be helpful to you.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, you\u2019ll allow me to leave you with one final word of encouragement if you\u2019re struggling as a fellow people pleaser: \u201cHe comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only will He comfort us, He will use us\u2014our weaknesses included\u2014to comfort, encourage, and help one another.<\/p>\n

If you know a people pleaser in ministry, check on us. God is doing a mighty work.<\/p>\n

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Jenny Whitaker<\/h2>\n

@jenwhitaker00<\/p>\n

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Jenny is the children and family ministry director of Bradfordville First Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla., where she lives with her husband and three children. Jenny is a writer for Lifeway Kids curriculum and enjoys training children\u2019s ministry leaders across the state of Florida.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n