I remember in elementary school one of the biggest insults
you could give was to call someone a “poser”.
E.g. “William copied the teacher’s example from class…what a
POSER!”
E.g. “I accidentally got the same shoes as Felicity…I feel
like such a poser!”
We were soooo young.
The insult gets at an American principal—one that even
elementary kids can articulate, apparently—no one wants to be seen as a
copy-cat, a people-pleaser. The goal is
to be yourself,
unique, original.
The Bible talks about avoiding people-pleasing, too, but not
in the interest of not being called a “poser”—in the interest of pleasing God:
“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)
This is a capstone Sunday School memory verse. Don’t worry about what people think. Aim to please God. Close in prayer. Let’s go play on the playground.
So I was kind of startled last night when I read these words from Paul (the same guy who
said the words above):
“Do not cause
anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God
Uh. Is Paul flip-flopping (is that a political
joke? (Is it from 2004?) (I know nothing about politics))?
Honestly, not
sure (and still know nothing about politics). But the verses in 1 Corinthians draw out a
wonderful, counter-cultural point for me:
To the extent
that we are not engaging in sin or disobedience to God, we should do whatever
it takes satisfy people in the interest of them meeting Christ. In seeking to rescue souls, we should “become
all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Wear business
suits with the people who wear business suits. Drink wine with the people who drink wine. Paint watercolors with the people who paint
watercolors (do people still do that?).
If it allows for
an opportunity to overflow the love of Jesus Christ on to someone—be a poser. Felicity will thank you.
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