Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

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I found this verse one day about 4 years ago when I decided to read what I thought were the “easy books” of the bible: 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. You know - the short ones in the New Testament. I had just come back from Camp Awana; I was still on a “camp high," which was the reason I felt the need to read.

As I read, I highlighted verses that caught my eye. Galatians 1:10 was one of them. After reading, I meditated on the chapter or two I read, because that’s what they tell you to do, right? Well something about that one verse really resonated with me. A few weeks later, my friend asked me what my favorite bible verse was so they could start somewhere with the bible. Galatians 1:10 immediately popped into my mind. I never had a favorite bible verse before. But now I did. I wrote the verse on a sticky note and told her to look it up and get back to me so we could discuss what it meant to both of us. When she texted me a few days later, we talked for hours about how much we rely on others' praise instead of knowing that the only approval we need comes from God.

Since that day, my favorite bible verse has remained Galatians 1:10. I decided to keep those words close, as a daily reminder that I am here for Jesus, not for humans.

Over the years, I’ve made this verse the background on my phone, written it on a whiteboard in my bedroom, and put it on my Instagram bio - I need a constant reminder. Society forces these ideas upon us that we need to be perfect, that we need to be better than the person next to us, that we need to impress our peers and our teachers. But that’s not what this verse teaches. God tells us that we’re not here to win the approval of the humans around us, but of Jesus. We’re here on this earth to be servants of God.

Just because Galatians 1:10 is one of my favorite verses, it definitely does not mean I don’t struggle. I’ve tried hard in school to get good grades, I’ve struggled with my body image, I’ve done too much in order to impress friends. But I keep this verse close to my heart so that when I do get caught up in worldly nonsense, I can turn to it and be reminded that I am Christ’s servant. I don’t need to have the trendiest outfit, the prettiest makeup, or the best grades. I just need to live in a way that I am a light of God’s love.

All through high school, and now through college, the pressure to impress others is high. Making new friends can be hard. You feel the need to live up to others’ expectations. But with Jesus and this verse in your heart, you’ll find it easy to put God at the center of your life, and everything else will follow easily.