"Approval Addiction" is something that almost all of us have, and Christian author Joyce Meyer talks about how we should learn to overcome it. You may think that you are living your life fearlessly and confidently, but perhaps you are not just fully aware of what your actions say about you. Imagine yourself running down the street; you are already late for work. But then a random person walks toward you and asks for your assistance with some problem. What do you do?
I'm quite certain that you'll do this person the favor they need. From one angle you can say it is a good deed, but from another it is not. Did you forget that you were already late for work? If ever you refused to help this stranger, it is not because you do not want to help them; but still you chose to agree. You can look at this situation and say that you're just being selfless. Then again, if you reassess the situation, you will see that you are actually being more selfish. By helping a stranger even if you are also running late makes you feel like you've sacrificed something to help this person, which in return makes you feel accomplished. Plus, if you successfully help this person, you get their approval which makes you feel more great.
This is my perfect summarization of Joyce Meyer's masterpiece titled approval addiction. We are all hungry to find the fulfilling feeling of being liked by other people, even if it means that we are doing it the wrong way. We all love the feeling that we get when someone likes what we are doing, and so we strive hard to get this feeling. Then again, Meyer did call this 'addiction' if it weren't a bad thing.
We were not put in this world to gather praises from other people, we were created to do a purpose for mankind. Doing deeds as we know is indeed what God would have wanted for us. But doing good things for the sake of other people's approval is not. All our lives, we work so hard just to earn the approval of family, friends and even people we meet on the streets. But we forget who is the most important of all, the only one whose approval really matters. We were so focused to make everyone else happy, that we did not care if we were making God happy as well.
Approval Addiction is a good way to wake up from the pressures of society. If you have long forgotten the essence of saying "NO", then let Meyer help you find it again. We have our own opinions and beliefs for a reason, it is because we have our minds that process them. It does not matter if you are a Christian or not, reading Approval Addiction will help you find the means to start living your life based on your own will and liking.
Checkout more Joyce Meyer Books at Christian Book Store.
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