09/02/2026
Something I am learning about self-indulgence is that it doesn't always look like overindulging in food, shopping, entertainment, or scrolling. Sometimes we indulge our need for approval. When this happens, we give ourselves the immediate relief of being liked:
“I'll just say what they want to hear.”
“I'll avoid that conversation.”
“I'll just stay in the background.”
“I'll compromise so they won't be upset with me.”
And for a moment, it works. The tension disappears. The disagreement is avoided.
Everyone seems happy. We feel relief. But what did that relief cost us?
Maybe we silenced truth.
Maybe we abandoned a boundary.
Maybe we compromised our convictions.
Maybe we made ourselves smaller so someone else could stay comfortable.
That's still self-indulgence. Because self-indulgence isn't simply “I want pleasure.”
Sometimes it's “I want relief from the discomfort of being disliked.” And when being liked becomes more important than being obedient, we're allowing the fear of rejection to become our source of comfort.
But Jesus has always offered something better.
We don't have to manipulate, perform, shrink, or compromise ourselves to be accepted. In Christ, we are already fully loved and fully known. So the next time you're tempted to say what they want to hear to keep the peace, pause and ask: “Am I choosing this because it's loving and true or because I can't tolerate the discomfort of being disliked?”
The goal isn't to become someone who doesn't care what anyone thinks. It's to become so secure in what God thinks that we no longer need everyone else to approve. That's a different kind of freedom; that's a breakthrough freedom.
