Preacher on the Run…

Autoimmune diseases are interesting and dangerous realities. I’ve had a few people close to me battle with such phenomena. One of my close friends’ wives was once diagnosed with this type of disease. It caused her chronic pain, constant fatigue, and uncertain changes in health. The hardest part was watching the many doctor’s appointments they went through only to have little to no resolution. It was as if her body was attacking itself and no one could see it coming or pinpoint the cause.

Autoimmune diseases attack our physical bodies. They cause the body to do the exact opposite of what it is designed to do – fight off any foreign cells and protect your cells. When someone has an autoimmune disease (such as diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, or celiac disease) the body is actually destroying itself while thinking it is doing what is needed. While autoimmune diseases are awful and cause much damage to one’s physical health, there is another danger out there posing as helpful yet destroying our spiritual health.

To be honest, people-pleasing is something I struggle with. As long as I can remember I’ve had a strong internal urge to please other people. Often, it’s not a bad thing or driven from a negative motive. However, it’s a desire, if left unchecked and unrecognized, that attacks my soul in subtle unnoticed ways. So when I came across and read Amy Medina’s article “People Pleasing is a Shapeshifter” it struck a chord in my heart. It caused me to pause, reflect, and recognize how my people-pleasing had shifted shapes and was attacking my soul.

You likely don’t have an autoimmune disease, but maybe you, like me, have a deeper autospiritual disease that is attacking your soul. A disease called “people-pleasing”. It likely doesn’t look the same as it did 5 years ago. It won’t look the same as it does in someone else, but I’d encourage you to read Amy’s article and evaluate where you may be seeking to please others in an unhealthy way.

As always, I’d love to hear from any of you reading. How have you seen people pleasing rear its head in your life? Have you seen it shift shapes over the years? If so, how so? As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

Until Next Time…

_{Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash}