Pleasing: A Call

The word "to please" comes from the Latin word placere, which means to be acceptable, liked, or approved. It is related to the word placare, which means to soothe, smooth, or make even.

Often, we mistakenly adjust our actions, thoughts, and feelings toward something for the sake of convenience or solidarity. We thought that by doing so, we had truly smoothed and made even the rough surfaces that are emblematic of the gaps that separate us from or affect our relationships with our friends, workmates, churchmates, and even our relatives and loved ones.

In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he said: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:1-3 NIV)

To please is a mandate given to all of God’s beloved as an act of worship to the Creator. God must be the subject to please. It is NOT and should NEVER be redefined as an act in conformity to how other people expect us to behave.

Our actions must be directed to please God alone—that is, to do our best to become acceptable, liked, and approved by God. When this is done, the issue of whether we are pleasing other people becomes less and less important, and therefore, the need to please them equally becomes less and less important.