If you believe that Jesus lived and died for you, one of the ways you show it is by loving and serving the people around you. But if you aren’t careful, the service you show to others can become a trap. Here’s how it happens.

The approval of others is something that everyone wants naturally. Approval is positive feedback that lets you know that you are doing something right. You fit in. You belong. You are needed.

But if you aren’t careful, you can begin to live for other people’s approval. You become dependent on the approval of others to the point where your emotional well-being is tied to their opinion of you. And no matter how well-intentioned the other people are, you are setting yourself up for a trap.

Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare.”

If you live for the approval of others, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s partly because you’ll become exhausted by trying to please everyone around you, and it’s partly because people are unable to give you the level of approval that you need.

So here’s something to keep in mind. Today, like every day, you will have opportunities to reflect God’s love by serving others. Remember what God’s love is all about. He approves of you in Christ. He declares you his loved child. And what God declares about you is so much more important than what people might think about you.