God

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is people pleasing. I’ve long known that I naturally have a people pleasing personality. I just really, really like to make others happy. That in and of itself isn’t a bad quality. When it competes with doing God’s will, it then becomes a problem.

Doing the right thing in God’s eyes often means upsetting someone. Saying no to someone or something in order to say yes to God often means upsetting someone. Pleasing God instead of people often means upsetting someone.

The thing is, as a Christian, I am called to love others. There is a distinct difference between people pleasing and loving, though.

I am to love all, but I am only to please One. The One I am to please is God. Period. Thank goodness for that! Imagine if we had to please God and man. That would be exhausting. I know this because I try to do it all the time.

When I find myself upset at not being able to please everyone, or sad that someone is mad at me for doing the right thing in God’s eyes, I have to stop and remind myself that I am to love all, but please One.

When I feel that familiar tug of people pleasing that leaves me feeling anxious and weary, I take a moment to remember Who I am to please. That allows me to love those around me, and helps me recognize my priorities and goal in life.

There is so much freedom in that.

Hello! It has been almost a week since I last blogged and I’ve missed this little space.

This week has been busy with work and pet sitting, but I found a little chunk of time to pop in and share five random tidbits from my life lately!

1. I was thinking yesterday about how listening is a dying art in today’s culture. I know I’m guilty of being a bad listener at times. I’ve caught myself thinking of something I want to say before the person I’m talking to has finished their sentence. Ugh.

Feeling and knowing that I’m heard and understood is important to me. I’ve been making an effort to listen, really listen, to others when they communicate with me. Our culture is full of distractions that pull us away from true, deep connection. When someone talks to me, I want to always give them my full attention.

2. I’ve been enjoying The Language of Flowers lately. It was recommended to me by Amy (and probably ten other people) and I’m wondering why it took me so long to pick up this book. It’s fascinating.

3. I looked up Youtube videos on how to tie baby wraps so I could bake and hold Malcolm at the same time. I used a big beach towel and it kind of worked. I’m still eyeing up cat strollers on Amazon.

4. Pet sitting has been randomly busy for me lately. I so enjoy the company of animals. I constantly go back and forth on whether or not I want to pet sit full-time. It’s a tough decision, mostly because the income isn’t always steady. Speaking of pets, I took Lola to the vet on Tuesday because she has an ear infection. Poor girl!

5. My cousin sent me this picture of her adorable daughter, Macie, the other day. Ten minutes later, my aunt sent me the same picture of Macie.

I had some suspicions about the reasoning behind the influx of baby pictures, so I texted my mom to discuss.

Jimmy and my mom are convinced if I ever become pregnant that I’m going to have twins. The thought of twins scares the living daylights out of me. It’s easy for me to think I can’t do it when I think about babies in general. The truth is that I can’t, but God will equip me for whatever He has in store for my life. Whether it’s writing a book, passing statistics, raising a family, or something totally different. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Children are something Jimmy and I talk about often. Whether we adopt, foster, or have biological (or all three, or none) is something we pray about diligently. It’s a huge responsibility and privilege to raise a human being. We trust that God will guide us and equip us for whatever His plans are for us 🙂

Living My Full Life

Love All. Please One.

Five Things

Tell me a random tidbit from your life lately!