Approval Ratings

If you have been alive and coherent in the past 10 years, you have heard all about approval ratings.  From major news networks to social media outlets, anyone with any importance has an approval rating.  From the President of the USA, to the college football coach, to the latest single man chosen as the newest Bachelor {and from what I've been reading, he doesn't stay single or committed for long.  Don't judge me...the Bachelor is one of my guilty pleasures}. Everyone has something to live up to.  Now I know that these ratings have been around for much longer than 10 years.  Some of you are just older than me, so you remember further back, right?

Here's the thing about "approval ratings:" they are people's opinions of how you measure up.  Are you doing a good job?  Are people happy with you?  Does the world approve of you? Are you making a positive difference? While many of us would LOVE for the world to all love us and make us feel like we are doing a good job, we have to remember that every human's opinion and feelings are all molded and shaped through their own personal circumstances.  While circumstances do not define us, we can all agree they tend to lend focus to different areas for different people.  Which means there are absolutely no black and white parameters in which we can know how to make everyone happy.  Everyone is different, and we all hold different things close to our hearts.  What may be important to me just might be the least of your worries.  Did you know that Jesus didn't have the best approval ratings in his time?  He was not well liked.  Many people tried to make him look bad.  They called him a liar.  But did you know, He was the single, most significant thing to happen to the human race?  Even to those who hated him.


In my Bible study this morning, I had to answer some gut-wrenching questions which made me list what occupies my mind the most, what do I love, and what can ruin my day.  I really wanted to write the Sunday School answers because then I could feel a little better about myself.  No one wants to admit they can be shallow in that they seek approval or long to be significant, to make a difference, or to just be accepted.  Holy cow!  That's someone who seems pretty vain. The lesson was on worship.  As Christians, we tend to define worship by what goes on in the beginning of the church service each week.  But the true definition of worship [based on my google definition search] is the feeling or expression of adoration and reverence for a deity.  There were several other definitions which were all basically the same.  As the study went on, the author was sure to remind us that worship doesn't just happen to inside the walls of the church.  She said, "If you're breathing, you're worshiping." But the questions is...what is the object of our worship?

As I looked at my answers from the first page, it was clear that my worship isn't always directed at the one who thought I was good enough to send His son to die for me.  It was on the thoughts and approval of those who will fail me everyday, because like me, they are sinners and live in a broken, fallen world.  The trouble with trying to live up to everyone's expectations of me is that there are no clear, concise directions on what would make everyone happy.  You see, if I spent all of my energy focused on making my kids happy, it is highly likely that my husband will be left feeling very unhappy because they require completely opposite things from me.

The only way I will ever experience true joy and peace is to live in a state of worship of Jesus Christ.  The one who approved of me before I was ever created.  The one who thought enough of me to die for me while I was yet a sinner.  So on my absolute WORST, UGLY, DISAPPOINTING day, Jesus loves me.  I have surrendered my heart and life to Him, so my life must only serve to honor Him.

Now, where I go wrong sometimes is trying to do enough to make Him happy with me.  But that is a lie from the devil himself.  There is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING I can do to earn His love.  He gave it freely.  The only requirement on my behalf is to surrender to His will, and live my life in a way that honors Him.  Sure, I screw it up everyday.  But I know His love never fails.

So how do I get away from these approval ratings?  God doesn't ask us to live a life to get amazing approval ratings from the world's perspective.  He doesn't even ask us to be significant, to make a difference, to win, to be on top, to be liked by everyone, to write the best blog, to have the most friends, and the list goes on and on.  He only asks one thing of us....to be OBEDIENT.  Obedient to accept Him as Lord and Savior over our lives, and obedient to each thing He calls us to.  No matter how big or how small.  You know how I know this?  This past week, God had laid the previous blog post on my heart to write.  I haven't written in so long, and truthfully just didn't feel up to it.  What is one stupid blog post about my own struggles going to do to make any difference?  So I finally decided to be obedient in a small step.  But let me tell you, the devil about made it impossible.  I was going to post it on Instagram and just share it.  But there wasn't enough room to write everything.  So as much as I hated to, I had to try to log on to the blog that I haven't even touched in 7 months.  I forgot the password, got locked out, only for my computer to freeze.  I may have hit the computer with a little extra pressure which then reset the battery.  I decided to quit.  It wasn't worth it.  But Rob reminded me that quitting was exactly what Satan wanted me to do.  I am not a quitter, and I often give the old devil more power and credit than he deserves.  So I continued on.  That insignificant little blog post lead several people to tell me how it encouraged them.  I had several facebook messages and such of people telling me that God had used my post to lift them up.  Listen, SaraBeth can't take any credit for that.  Because not only did I NOT want to write it, it seemed so small.  And who has time for the small things?  I want to be used in a big way.  But God took the insignificant and used it significantly in the lives of others.

So what is the point of all of this mumbling?  It is to encourage you {and me} to quit living your lives in hopes of garnering raving approval ratings.  Take all of that effort and energy, and start living a life in obedience to Jesus.  His gift of salvation is significant enough to save your life eternally.   He wants you to live life more abundantly {John 10:10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.}  The world's opinion of you will quickly steal your joy.  It can destroy you.  Live that abundant life in Jesus.

Everything you do, do it with a heart of worship and obedience to King Jesus {Col 3:23-
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;}.  Then and only then will you have the joy and peace you are searching for.  

Keep on keeping on.  Love Jesus, love people, and be obedient to the next step, no matter how big or small, He is calling you to take.