Wanting Fans

“How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” — John 5:44 (KJV)

Pascal had a sharp eye for one particular weakness: our need to be admired.

“Vanity is so anchored in the heart of man that a soldier, a soldier’s servant, a cook, a porter brags, and wishes to have his admirers.”

Then he turns it round on himself. Even philosophers want admirers, he says. People who write against vanity want the glory of having written well, and people who read them want the glory of having read them. “I who write this have perhaps this desire,” he admits, “and perhaps those who will read it ...” He leaves the sentence hanging. He is talking about you and me.

If Pascal were alive today he would have plenty to say about likes, followers, views and streaks. But he had already noticed something strange about the way we want approval:

“We are so presumptuous that we would wish to be known by all the world, even by people who shall come after, when we shall be no more; and we are so vain that the esteem of five or six neighbours delights and contents us.”

Both halves are true. We dream of being famous, and yet a few people saying something nice about us can make our whole day. And a few people ignoring us or saying something unkind can wreck it.

Pascal also saw where this starts. He wrote that admiration spoils everything from childhood: “Ah! How well said! Ah! How well done! How well-behaved he is!” From the time we are small, we learn to perform for praise. That isn’t because the adults around us are bad. It is how human hearts work.

The trouble is that living for other people’s approval is exhausting. You are never sure you have enough. You keep checking. You shape what you say and wear and post around what will get a good reaction. And you can find yourself saying things you don’t believe just to fit in.

Jesus asked a pointed question: how can you believe, if you are always looking for honour from each other instead of from God? Faith gets crowded out when people’s opinion matters more to us than God’s.

The way out is not to stop caring about people. It is to settle where your real worth comes from. God made you, knows you completely and loves you in Christ. You do not have to earn that by performing. When that sinks in, other people’s approval becomes a nice extra rather than the air you breathe.

One thing to do this week: notice this week every time you do something mainly to be seen or liked: a post, a joke, a comment, an outfit. Don’t beat yourself up. Just say quietly, “Lord, your opinion of me is the one that counts.” Try doing one kind thing that nobody will know about.