Who Are You Pleasing?
In my younger years and especially when I began
ministry with my husband, I was in the people pleasing business or at least that's
what I thought you were supposed to do- please everyone. Being a wife, mom, teacher, and
ministry wife--I was crazy busy all the time. All these people in my
circle, in my life, needed me and I needed to make sure they were happy
and well...liked by everyone. I tried my hardest to do everything I thought they
wanted me to do and be in order to please the people in our ministry. I
was trying to live up to an image that I had created and I failed
miserably.
It wasn't until I matured more and gained some
experience (and Godly wisdom), that I stepped back a minute to look at
my own life, where I was going, what I wanted to do, who I was doing it
with, and who I was trying to please. After many years of spinning my
wheels and running ragged to try and prove myself to the world and make
them happy, I was completely exhausted and my tank was empty. I was like
a dead car on the side of the road that puttered along before running
out of gas. This went on for years. I would go until I couldn't go any
further. My body was physically weak, my mind was weak, and my internal
fulfillment lagged until there was none. I got frustrated, tired, and
began to lose my self-worth and my own happiness.
Have you ever felt like this before? Have you
given of yourself so much that you neglect filling your own cup? I think
we all have at some point in our lives. Its human nature to want to
please, do the best for others, and in return, we hope that our family
and friends like us and are happy with us.
I've learned over the course of the years that
you cannot make everyone happy. DUH....right? I've tried and it's flat
out exhausting. I'm reminded of the old saying..."don't always count on getting
back what you put in." Some relationships can be like this. Your spout
pours consistently into their lives, but then theirs...not so much.
Their spout is all dried up. But here's the thing...we should not rely
on other people to make us happy; God is the giver of happiness and He should fill our
cup. God's spout of overflowing joy, hope, happiness, and love never ends. His
spout never dries up.
In Romans 15:32, we are reminded of this: "Now
may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so
that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
God should be the one we are aiming to please. It
is rewarding to please God. People and the things of this world will
leave us lacking. Yes, we want our family and friends to be happy, but
we cannot fill a role that only God can. Deep down inside, God is the
ultimate filler of happiness. He should be our cup filler and joy maker. We must not look to please man, but our highest Father in Heaven and
Jesus Christ. He is the one I want to please and I want Him to be
pleased with me.
Who are you trying to please? Please the One who
matters most. Dig into the Word of God, spend time in prayer listening
to Him, seek Him with all your heart, and allow Him to fill you like no
other person can. In the end, our eternity will be spent with Him.
Let pleasing God become bigger than pleasing people.
Your friend,
Stacy
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