For without faith, it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to God must 1) believe that he is, and 2)that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

As a life-long people pleaser, I have often fallen short of other people’s expectations of me.

As I have sometimes been told, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time!”

Probably the hardest person for me to please was my father.   Being a parent myself, I know what high expectations we often place on our children.  We want so much for them, but most of all, that they would be happy.  God wants us to have a meaningful life, too!

In frustration, I finally gave up trying to please him a few years ago.  Being a people pleaser is, in itself, doomed to failure, anyway.

As I was thinking about this aspect of my life this morning, because as a mother of adult children and a grandmother, I care about the needs of my kids and grandkids, so I think of how to please them with some thoughtful act or encouraging words.  God is a parent like this, too, and he went to great lengths of meet the needs of his children in every generation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

by Mike Woodard
used by permission

FURTHER READING

He Has Not Deserted Me – by Bill Bright

What Pulls Your Strings? – by John Grant

Spiritual Distractions – l by John Grant

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The post People Pleasing – Falling Short of Expectations appeared first on Thoughts About God.