People pleaser? Guilty as charged

I am a recovering people pleaser. 

I am the kind of girl at a get together that makes sure to talk and engage everyone in conversation to make them feel comfortable and welcome. When a friend calls, I will be right there. If people need help with this or that, I'm on it. And if something sounds interesting I'll raise my hand and do it.  

Lately, I have been picking up a lot of projects and getting out there and meeting new people. This is great, but I have had to stop and ask myself:

"Am I doing this for my own benefit? Or for others?" "Is this what God wants, or what I want?"

I am human and looooove recognition and praise, who doesn't? But the truth is I shouldn't be doing things to please people, but to please God. At the end of my day, that's all that matters. Why? Because there is NO LOGICAL WAY we can please everyone.  If we try, we are just setting ourselves up for failure. But how do we know when we are going off track? 


For me, this is when I know I am slipping..

• When I start feeling not good enough. 
• When I start losing my self confidence. 
• When I start getting lazy and unmotivated.
• When I start caring about what others think. 

When these things start happening I know my heart is in the wrong place and I have to re-evaluate my intentions and motivations. That is when I spend some quiet time with God and ask for direction and sometimes it takes a while, but He always speaks to me and sets my path straight.

The benefits of pleasing God vs. pleasing people...

Peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment.  

I have felt nothing like it.  Although I get happy hearing "Great job" "You're Awesome" or "I love you" from others there is still a disconnect. The same person that said, "You're awesome" may get mad at you tomorrow.  Or maybe you have experienced someone saying, "I love you", and then they walk out of your life in a month. 

It happens and when it does it doesn't make sense.  

People are unpredictable, but God isn't.

When I know that I am in line with God I feel an overwhelming sense of elation and peace in my heart that I can't get enough of and it is consistent. He continues to walk with me every step of the way.

Also, when I am in line with God I am always led to the RIGHT people and the RIGHT opportunities when I am ready.   

If you are struggling with your faith, or feel like you are getting wrapped up into others too much, I encourage you to just take some quiet time and pray about it.  Ask for guidance and it will come.


I am no saint. At all.
And my faith continues to be a work in progress...but it is a journey that I love.


But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 
- 1 Thessalonians 2:4

When sunny days turn grey

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

That can be difficult for me sometimes. Good emotional health is just as important as physical health and we can easily forget that.  

I have had a difficult week and have been struggling with a specific situation for a while.  When things get difficult for me I try my best to laugh it away and joke about it without acknowledging the problem, which isn’t always the best way to handle life.  

When I explained my 'stuff' to a good friend I tried to downplay it, but soon tears started welling up in my eyes, DAMNIT! As I continued to talk with him, tears started running down my face…how embarrassing. And then I was apologizing, but he kept reassuring me that it was okay and I was normal.

It’s okay to feel sad and crazy sometimes. Even sunny days can turn grey. It would be completely unrealistic to be happy all the time.  

After I did my rambling...he rained cold hard truth and it was a bit hard to hear at first, but affirming and calming towards the end. I respect him for being so honest with me and holding no judgment.

It is very important to surround yourself with people who take you as you are, but want you at your best and will help you along the way.

Things may not be sunny for me right now, but I am still going to smile…

Because it is in the darkest of moments we find the strength we didn’t know we had.