When Did We Start Apologizing for God's Blessings?

by Michele D. Anderson, MA – Christian Counselor and Master Certified Coach Founder, The Identity Collective™

This Saturday I'll participate in an ordination ceremony after a season of prayer, study, ministry, references, interviews, and review.

And if I'm honest...

I've hesitated to tell people.

Not because I'm uncertain about my commitment to Christ.

Not because I don't take ministry seriously.

But because I know there will be people who question it. People who criticize it. People who think they know better. People whose opinions have, at times, carried more weight in my heart than they ever should have.

Isn't that strange?

How many of us have accomplished something meaningful—something we've worked hard for, prayed over, and faithfully pursued—only to hide it because we're afraid someone else won't approve?

We allow someone else's criticism to become louder than God's faithfulness.

For me, this isn't really about ordination.

It's about identity.

I grew up believing that God calls people, and I still believe that with all my heart. My ordination isn't an attempt to replace God's calling with man's approval. It is simply a group of mature Christian leaders acknowledging the life, ministry, and commitment they have witnessed. They didn't create the calling. They recognized what God has been doing.

There's a difference.

Yet I almost allowed the fear of criticism to steal the joy of the moment.

How often do we do that?

We downplay our accomplishments.

We minimize our gifts.

We refuse compliments.

We hide our victories.

We stay quiet about answered prayers.

Not because we're humble.

Because we're afraid.

Afraid someone will accuse us of being prideful.

Afraid we'll be misunderstood.

Afraid someone will remind us of our past.

Afraid we'll never be "good enough" in their eyes.

But here's the truth I've been learning:

Humility isn't pretending God hasn't done something beautiful in your life.

Humility is giving Him the credit for it.

There is nothing arrogant about celebrating God's faithfulness.

There is nothing prideful about acknowledging years of hard work, obedience, and perseverance when your desire is to glorify Him.

The enemy loves to convince us that shrinking ourselves is humility.

It isn't.

It's fear wearing a religious mask.

Our identity was never meant to be built on the opinions of people who choose criticism over encouragement. Our worth doesn't increase when someone applauds us, and it doesn't decrease when someone disapproves of us.

Our identity is secure because it rests in Christ.

So this weekend, I'll stand with gratitude—not because a ceremony makes me more valuable, but because it marks another milestone in God's faithfulness.

And maybe that's the reminder someone else needs too.

Don't let someone else's inability to celebrate your journey keep you from celebrating what God has done.

If God has been faithful...

Celebrate it.

If you've worked hard...

Celebrate it.

If He's opened a door...

Walk through it with gratitude.

Don't apologize for God's blessings.

Give Him the glory—and keep walking in the calling He has placed on your life.

"For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." — Galatians 1:10 (NIV)