There’s only One Person we need to impress in this life, and that’s God.

We have an audience, when push comes to shove, in the final analysis, of One.

And He says (if we believe the “word” received by an Australian woman):

“Stop judging and evaluating yourself, for this is not your role. Above all, stop comparing yourself with other people. This produces feelings of pride or inferiority; sometimes, a mixture of both. I lead each of My children along a path uniquely tailor-made for him or her. Comparing is not only wrong: it is also meaningless. Don’t look for affirmation in the wrong places: your own evaluations or those of other people. The only source of real affirmation is My unconditional Love.”

And if we accept another “word”:

“Wisdom bestoweth itself in ways unknown to those of this world, a true intelligence that evades high-score academia, which too often is the audience and jury and judge. No, the Holy Spirit whispers and imbues where He will, away from the house and clutter of the senseless, whose eyes are blind as they pile superficial accolades and stacks of currency before them.”

More simply put: We go through life worrying too much about what others think of us and trying to impress them, instead of the Lord.

Why? To show — to impress — others.

The list is endless. And there is often much stress in simply meeting someone because of how concerned we are with those impressions. We like to put our “best foot forward.” We’re concerned about our images. This is the same as in advertising, where image is everything and content is often a minor consideration.

At school, we are worried about the professor. At work, the manager or employer. At church, the pastor.

Obviously,  good grooming and neat attire are important. A disheveled appearance can indicate a disheveled mind. It can also hint at the proximity of negative spirits. Look no further than the man at the tombs of Gadarenes!

But when appearance becomes an obsession — more important than anything else — this too is a serious imbalance.

Far too often, we do or don’t do things based on what others might think or how they may interpret us.

At times, we say what we think others may want to hear, instead of what we truly believe.

This is a form of dishonesty.

It is worldly.

Be bold in who you really are.

Neither insult nor grovel.

Not to say a reserved attitude doesn’t have its place! Better to keep mum than become embroiled in senseless debates, of which, in our strange time, there are so many.

But don’t get caught up in catchwords. To do so is to enter into the mentality of a cult. Hold fast to pure thoughts. Let your outward appearance take second place to what is inside.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites,” says Matthew 23:27. “You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.”

Remember this: In the end, there is only One Person to please.

And remember: life is far richer and more tranquil (if not always less challenging) when our focus is solely on how we stand before Him.