Stop Pleasing Everybody!

Alexander Liberman in his book, The Artists In His Studio, wrote what I think is the most important line in the whole book:

An artist, as Malraux said of Goya, ‘discovers his genius the day he dares not to please’.

I’m in perfect agreement with this. And it doesn’t just apply to art, but to life, work, and for me, the spiritual life and ministry. I decided a while ago to not people-please. It’s had disastrous results… my church split, I’ve been fired from a ministry, I’ve lost many friends, acquired enemies, and I constantly bewilder people. But I’ve discovered something that I’m not willing to relinquish. The path is narrow. But it is a better one. Find it and take it.

The painting is another artist friend of mine, Tina Newlove’s “Spring Trees”.