People Pleasers, Truth Speakers, and Paul

I just have a brief thought to post today.  I waffled back and forth on whether or not to expand on what I am about to say but I think it is a simple point and it doesn't need to be weighed down...

In Galatians Paul is writing a harsh word to the church.  He is being open and honest with them and can be almost cutting at times in his sincerity.  In Galatians 4:16-18 we see Paul write, "Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?  Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good.  They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.  If someone is eager to do good things for you, that's all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I'm with you."  Paul is bringing them a truth that is hard to speak but even harder to hear.  Essentially, he is calling them out on their garbage with the intention of making them stronger.  Sometimes in life we are blessed with people that will speak a harsh word in truth in order to make us stronger and better.  Sometimes we have people in our life that tell us what we want to hear because they ultimately do not care about us or because they are trying to seek some gain.  Now, there are those, myself included, that are people pleasers and it is much easier to tell someone what they want to hear than to possibly harm or disappoint them in some way.  I am guilty of that.  People like myself, people pleasers, do not do with bad intentions.  But maybe the results are the same sometimes.  I have been blessed to have a few people in my life that have spoken some truth to me that I absolutely did not want to hear.  They were not fun things to hear but necessary and good for me.  Kind of like when you have to take pills that are meant for horses to swallow, not humans.  Ultimately for good but not fun at all.  This is where Paul is coming from when he speaks to the Galatians.  He is giving them something exceedingly difficult to swallow but he desperately wants them to learn and grow for it and he only does it out of his overwhelming love for them.  Where am I going with this?  If you haven't figured it out yet, all I am saying is this:

Find those people that love you enough to tell you the truth and speak to you open and honestly because they are the ones that will bring you closer and closer to Jesus in your walk with Him.  If you aren't religious at all, then those people will help you develop into a more well-rounded human being.  Plain and simple.  You NEED these people in your life.  If you are blessed enough to have a person like that in your life already, then HOLD ON TO THEM!  AND THANK THEM FOR IT!

This blog has been started because I want to seek the Truth.  Whatever that may be.  So themes of truth and honesty are huge to me.  Living a life in Christ is living a life in constant pursuit of finding and living Truth.  Real, tangible, Christ-likeness sort of Truth.

Thank you all who read, as always.


Seeking Truth,

Dylan