Pressure Pointsნიმუში

Keeping Up Appearances

Early in my career as a teacher, I taught at an inner-city senior high school that had no student uniform. Every day was like a fashion parade. Some students wore elaborate, expensive-looking outfits, and quickly became popular. Others wore the same old tracksuit and sneakers, and were often overlooked.

At one point, it became trendy to buy Gucci belts. Students would get part-time jobs, work long hours, and spend their savings on a single belt. Some belts were worth close to $1000. I didn’t even know a belt could cost that much! They’d pair their precious new possession with cheap clothes—but it didn’t matter. Their social capital was all about the Gucci belt!

In the staffroom, we couldn’t believe it. A whole social hierarchy had formed purely on the brand of their belt—everything else didn’t seem to matter! We laughed and made the usual “kids these days…” comments, but at some point, I realised that what the students were doing was simply a microcosm of what we all do.

We chase approval through our possessions and status. We curate an image, hoping people will respect or admire us. We go into debt to buy things we can’t afford, and we perform, name drop, and brag about our achievements or the achievements of our kids. Why? Because of the lie that it makes us worth more.

It doesn’t just apply to possessions or status—we can do it in a religious sense too. Jesus warned us, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). If it’s about being seen by others, we’ve missed the point entirely.

In 1 Samuel 16, when God chose the next king of Israel, He reminded Samuel that “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Trying to please people is ultimately impossible—and it leads to constant failure and exhaustion. It’s a pressure that we’re not built to withstand.

Instead, as followers of Jesus, we have the privilege of living for Him. As Paul says in Galatians 1:10, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

The yoke of the world says, “Be seen. Be admired. Be validated.” But the yoke of Jesus says, “You are already known, already loved, already secure.”

We don’t have to prove our worth—we receive it from Him. From that place, we are free to live not for others’ approval, but for the One who truly sees our hearts.

Let’s Pray
Jesus, forgive me for chasing people’s approval instead of finding my worth in You. Free me from the pressure to perform, and help me to live from the security of being known and loved by You, not because of what I do, but because of Your grace. Amen.