People pleasing, fear of man, wanting everyone to like me... Just a few of my biggest faults.
I read this tonight, and thought it was awesome:
"People-pleasers can mistake “niceness” for love. When they do, they will be prone to being manipulated by others, and burn-out is sure to follow. People-pleasers can also mistake “yes” for love."
- Edward T. Welch, "When People Are Big & God is Small"
Far too often I feel stretched thin-- trying to do it all; wanting people to like me, accept me... whether it's even reciprocated or not, I try, try, try, and feel tired, tired, tired. And like this quote says, burn out follows.
In my 26 years of life, I've realized a lot of things about myself;
most of all, I love people.
I pour most of my energy into diving into relationships, whether that's with my other, better half or with family and friends (in real life & in bloggy land, haha). I love to communicate, spend time, and invest in others. People can easily become my "God." To the point where it can be unhealthy... where I say yes to everything and try to be superwoman so that I don't let a friend down. Or fear of man sets in when I want to do something brave and bold and yet am afraid of what others will think of me.
I've been thinking of Mary a lot lately. Mary, Jesus's mother. Talk about not having fear of man. Have you ever really thought about all that Mary went through when Gabriel came to her and told her that she would be carrying the child of God?
Unmarried. Pregnant. Outcasted. Scandalous.
And carrying the child of God?
No pressure, Mary.
From Luke 1 The Message (MSG)
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:
"Good morning!
You're beautiful with God's beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you."
She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her,
You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever-- no end, ever, to his kingdom."
Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said,
"Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say."
Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. And Mary said,
"I'm bursting with God-news;
I'm dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I'm the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
It's exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now."
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No fear of man. No fear of what others thought of her. No shame.
Only peace. Expectation. Joy. A heart to serve.
Do you struggle with fear of man, wanting to please others, wanting everyone to like you, i.e., ultimately making others "God" in your life?
I do!!!
Please tell me I'm not alone :)
"The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are.... Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more."
-- Edward T. Welch
