You don’t have to please them
Are you a people pleaser?
As much as it is very important for you to invest your time and energy on people, it is also vital for you not to unnecessarily get too entangled along the way. People pleasing can be very demanding. It can affect your mental and emotional stability if you don’t stay careful. I’d not want to say much on this though. It’s totally up to you.
Know what’s important to you and stick to it. I value friendships a lot (especially genuine friendships.) And it isn’t a bad thing for you to check up on people and even to go out on your own to please them.
One may argue that there’s no time for such thing. 24 hours a day isn’t enough for you to take care of yourself, talk more of carving out time to check up on others, right? You’ve lots of pages of a book to cover, and exams are around the corner. You don’t even have some spare cash for subscriptions.
Well all these are true.
But the thing is, little things matter a lot. It’s not even of him that runneth, but only of the Lord that showeth mercy.
Here’s an excerpt from the book, Never Too Late, written by Kathryn Kuhlman. She was explaining part of the reasons why she thinks some people are healed during ministry service, yet some others aren’t. According to her, she’s not exactly sure why; and she said she’s even afraid of people who claim that they know for sure. I agree with her. Our God is unfathomable and all-knowing. Who can decipher the mind of God? None. It reads: I am reminded of the young lady who in describing faith, used this illustration. She said, "When I was learning to float on water, I realized I had to relax completely and without fear trust the water to hold me up - it worked, I floated. In the same way I 'faithed.’"
Most times we demand stuffs from God. We strain. We struggle (we forget that with Him, there’s no struggle.) And we cry but yet there’s no answer. That’s to tell that He isn’t a people pleaser. He wouldn’t change His thoughts or plans just to please any of us. And even though His thoughts and plans for us are of good, not of evil, He wouldn’t change any of that just to at least make us feel less anxious of the future.
If God isn’t a people pleaser, why should you?
Kuhlmann, in the same book wrote, "One of the greatest secrets I have learned through the years is when I have realized my own helplessness and have acknowledged it to Him. It is then that I have experienced some of the greatest manifestations of His power. You are nearest your possession of this imparted grace when you realize your own helplessness and your complete and entire dependence upon the Lord."
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Being weak isn’t a bad thing. Acknowledge it. Tell it to yourself. And find a way to work through it, while totally depending all the way on the Lord for breakthrough. Discover yourself and stay happy.
Footnote: Carved out from one of my unpublished works.
If the words above spoke to you in any way meaningful, please don’t forget to use the highlight tool or the comment box. I’d love to really hear from you. Thank you! ;)
