The Right Way to Shake It Off

I know absolutely nothing about today’s country music, but while scrolling through Pinterest recently I ran across a free printable with lyrics from Taylor Swift’s song, Shake It Off.  It looked pretty cool and my niece likes Taylor Swift’s music, so I pinned it with the intention of printing it out for her sometime.  After my sister commented on my pin, my curiosity was sparked and I decided to listen to the song.

My first impression was that the song did not sound anything like a country song.  That made me like it better already. It’s a catchy pop tune that gets stuck in your head, so if you listen to this song, don’t say I didn’t warn you!  But what really caught my attention was the lyrics.  The theme of the song is to not worry about what others say about you and just enjoy living your life.  Don’t worry about insults and negative comments.  Ignore them and be happy.  Hmm…that really made me think.  Is that even possible???

I’m reminded of a phrase my grandmother used to say, “Like water off a duck’s back, just let it roll.”  Easier said than done, right?  To a people-pleaser like me, that proves to be a very difficult task.   In fact, I’ve always been a people-pleaser.  Even as a young girl I was intent on pleasing my parents, my teachers, my friends, and other family members.I hated the feeling I got when I disappointed someone, so I tried my hardest to not let that happen.

Fast forward many years later, and not much has changed.  I still strive to please others, but I have learned that there are some people you will not please no matter how hard you try.  Not everyone will like my haircut, the color of my car, or even this blog.  There will be times when no matter how hard we try not to, we will disappoint others.  We will all forget birthdays, miss the shot, make poor decisions and hurt people we love. We should accept these facts and learn to live with it.  But how?

We must remember that we were born into a sinful world, and unfortunately perfection is not an option. If we were perfect, we’d be without sin and have no need for God’s grace. It is our imperfection that draws us closer to him as we seek his forgiveness and mercy.  We must rely on him for healing and comfort when things go wrong in our lives.  The more we seek him through prayer and by reading his word, the more eternally minded we become, and the opinion of others matters less to us.

Paul said it best when he said, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.  If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Gal 1:10 NLT)  We should live our lives seeking God’s acceptance, and not the acceptance of others.  We should remind ourselves of this and learn to “shake it off” when others criticize our actions or judge us unfairly.  As long as we are doing what is right in God’s eyes, or seeking his forgiveness when we miss the mark, what does it matter?

I am still a work in progress, and there are times I have to remind myself that God’s approval is what truly matters.   God created me to enjoy my life on earth, and not live shackled by the chains of society’s expectations.  So, you don’t like this post?  I’m sorry you don’t.  But in the words of Taylor Swift, “I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, I shake it off, I shake it off.”

If you’re interested in the free printable with lyrics from Taylor Swift’s song, you can check it out here.