I saw this saying at a restaurant: “You are not a Taco, You can’t please Everybody.” Think about how many types of Tacos there are today. There are Steak Tacos, Fish Tacos, Chicken Tacos, Breakfast Tacos, BBQ Brisket Tacos, Taco Salad, Taco Pizza, Taco Soup etc…Even with all these choices, there are some people who do not like Tacos. The truth is that no matter how hard we try; just like a Taco, you and I are not going to be able please everyone all the time. We are human and we are not flawless. Ed Sheehan, popular singer and song writer has said, “I can’t tell you the key to success, but the sure way to failure is trying to please everyone.”

We should strive to do our best and be kind and treat others with respect regardless of how others respond to us. In spite of this, problems can arise when we take “people pleasing” to an unhealthy level and tie it to our self esteem. This is what counselors describe as living by Performance-Based Acceptance. This is where we are driven to please everybody; no matter what, to have their approval in order to feel good about ourselves. As a result, we can develop the bad habit of constantly looking to others for validation for who we are as a person. If we don’t get positive feedback or compliments from others, we can feel disappointed and dejected. Or, it also can be that we tend to automatically say “yes” too quickly because we want people to like us. To say yes, without taking adequate time to think about it or even look at our calendar to see if we really have the time to fulfill their request can cause us unnecessary stress and regret. Christine Cane has stated that… “It is equally important what we say ‘No’ to as what we say ‘Yes’ to.”

Showing no restraint and say yes to everyone works okay for a while, until we find ourselves, overcommitted to more things ( even good things) than we adequately can get done in our schedule. When this occurs, we have a tendency to either explode in anger and frustration or implode with anxiety, self pity and worry. What is interesting, Is that the underlying issue really may be an embedded sense of low self-esteem and inferiority. It’s that deep down feeling that we are never quite good enough. That is why we can’t earn our salvation or way to Heaven. Jesus did for us what we could not do on our own. Receiving His grace and forgiveness is the basis for our faith and confidence. We should turn our focus to pleasing God as our main priority. Rick Warren has staled that “If God is pleased…then stop worrying about who isn’t.”Realizing that with God’s help and guidance, we can release the pressure from trying to find our confidence from trying to impress other people. I particularly like Colossians 3:23 on this subject, which states “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, and not for people.”

Beth Moore, noted Bible Study teacher puts it this way, “Let your light shine today, and let your personality blossom too. You don’t have to be a people pleaser, just a people lover.”

Let us rejoice in the Lord and in His grace in our lives, that frees us from being a compulsive people pleaser and to be a people lover.

And It is also good to know…we don’t have to be like a Taco.