 “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson  Side note: I love this quote! So....The other day I was about to post something on Facebook, and thought to myself: "woah, what are people going to think of me?" and then I was like: "Woahhhh why am I thinking about what people will think of me?" And yes, the woaaaah's continued on like a Californian surfer-dude. And that's The End. :-) People pleasing. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" -Galations 1:10 Let me be real with y'all, about life. We've all been there, I know I have, and it's going to probably happen in the next five minutes for somebody out there, because it's life. It's about constantly re-evaluating by asking yourself: "why am I doing this? Why am I saying this? Am I trying to please people? Or am I trying to please God?" People-pleasing, for me, generated from a long time ago, one of the reasons was from high school. I thought because certain people didn't like me for me, I had to be a certain way, so I thought that I had to impress "them". "Them" were people who were not worth considering when it came to the opinion of who I really was, but I was yet to discover that truth in Christ. It was until I realized I had people around me who actually loved me for who I was, and yet I had been wasting my time trying to please those who were never going to be pleased even if I had hopped onto a trapeze and then juggled all the way home. Good fun. I know. Would it have been worth the effort? No way. I would have just ended up exhausted, because in their mind, they had already concluded that I wasn't good enough. So the problem wasn't with me, it was with them along with the stagnant conclusion they had already formulated about me. It became my problem the moment I decided that I would feed into it and suppress my authentic self because it wasn't what they wanted. People pleasing. We all have our story about why we people-please, and it's just a matter of being vulnerable, and telling the truth about it. I hope that something here encourages you to do so with yourself, and with others. Okay, now on to the next bit. Sometimes people may try to make it seem like there is something wrong with you when really its due to their story, their past. Remember that people who try to intentionally exclude or emphasize anything about you also have a story they are feeding from, so don't expect it to always be about you.  Regardless of the circumstance you may be going through, know that you ARE MORE than enough. You ARE talented enough. You ARE gifted enough, and there's no need to work hard for those things or continue to say things in order to please people. Who you are in Christ is more than enough. Remember that God doesn't look at the outside, but the heart. When He sees you, He sees you as already beautiful, completed, done, redeemed, forgiven, His Child, and many more wonderful aspects! And if you're going to change anything, do it for yourself, and to God's glory, not for others. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're normal, and a beautiful work in progress. We all fall short, and are broken. We all feel low sometimes, we all run away sometimes, we all get sick and tired of this world at times. We ALL, all of us, go through this, so you are not alone in this. Some people pretend, and that's fine for them because they're going through a season, but know that you are not alone. "So what now?"...I guess the answer comes from the Word, doesn't it? ;-) I read Psalm 119:23-24 the other morning, which says: "Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statues are my delight; they are my counselors." Amen! God is the one we should run to and aim to make our audience and delight. The verse above talks about how David couldn't even go to other people because even those people were slandering him, but He knew that in the Lord, in the Word, in the presence of the Almighty Savior, He could find refuge, peace, comfort and direction on what to do. It can be tough sometimes. Heck, life is tough, but with Jesus, I can assure you, He can even turn that whirlwind into a party fest, still filled with joy even when people are trying you constantly. ;-) Amen. So, this being real thing, It's kinda challenging eh? Well, I'm with you on that one sistah ;-) and brother, and you know what, I read an article about how we get scared to be real because we are scared to risk being hurt. The article went on to say that we are going to be hurt, at some point or another. Writer, Andy Gill quoted Sherry Turkle, who said, "who said that a life without conflict, without dealing with the past, or without rubbing up against troublesome people is better?" Amazing, isn't it? I love it. I'm ready to enjoy this crazy life journey, who's with me? ;-) "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 Amen! So, I CHALLENGE you, sister, brother, to be real this week. I CHALLENGE you to start that with God. Start with God and be real with Him (or to help you unpack that) about your life struggles, about what you're going through, and watch Him take you on a journey you'll never regret. Cry out to Him if you have to. Be real. Tell Him how you feel. So, who's with me? ;-) JOURNAL IT OUT!!: Write about an instance where you people-pleased. What had happened? Why had you decided that you were going to please these people? Do you feel that maybe there is some underlying issue that needs more healing? Ask God about it. What positive steps are you going to take now that you know these things? Ask God about it, and talk about these with Him, He'll lead you on what to do next. What are some practical steps that you can take to stop people-pleasing? Journal it out! Amen.  Comments are closed.
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