Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Your Only Boss Is God

The LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. -- Micah 6:8

What do other people expect of you? What do you expect of yourself? And what does God expect of you?

Wow. When you look at it like that, it all just seems so overwhelming. How can anyone possibly be all things to all people and to God too? No wonder we’re so stressed out.

But wait a minute. We’re not called to meet the expectations of other people. We’re not even called to please them. Oh, we’re to love them. But we don’t have to make them happy.

As for ourselves, well, we’re to do what God calls us to do. Nothing more. Nothing less. Because the only boss we’ve got is God. And He loves us.

We spend our lives trying to please people who will never truly be pleased. Because we can never do enough for them. It’s sort of like laundry. It never ends. Just when you think you’ve got it conquered, there’s that pile again. And so it goes. That’s how it is with pleasing people. Endless.

The same is true when we expect too much from ourselves. We believe what others tell us. We buy into those lies of having it all. We fill each and every moment of our day with activities and call ourselves living. But our days are endless and our hearts are empty. It’s a roller coaster that never ends.

Maybe we don’t want it to end. Because if we face the stillness that remains we realize all that we’re not. We don’t measure up to who we always thought we should be. More pressure. More disappointment. More stress and disillusionment with ourselves.

And there is God. Waiting. Calling us softly to Himself. Telling us that we are enough. He created us to be the unique and wonderful individuals that we are. We are enough -- just as we are.

So where do all those expectations come from? A world focused on self rather than Savior. A world of endless drudgery and sin rather than a world filled with light and love. We’ve lost our focus. We’ve forgotten how to determine what’s important and what is not.

So stop worrying about what others expect from you. And ease up on yourself. God’s got a plan for your life and it’s good. Stay focused on Him and let someone else deal with all the rest.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Remember Why We Are Here

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. -- Habakkuk 3:17-18

Okay. It hurt my feelings. Really. It did. He was upset because people weren’t doing what they were told. And I was convenient. But, honestly, it wasn’t my fault.

I bit my tongue. Sort of. I reminded them that everyone had been told what to do -- twice. If they still failed to follow directions, I asked, what was I supposed to do? No answer.

That little, pitiful voice inside of me wanted to lash out. I wanted to remind him that I wasn’t being paid to hire and supervise drivers for him. I wanted to tell him how much time I spent doing it and to remind him that I also kept excellent payroll records to make his life easier. And I wanted to point out a few of his shortcomings of the morning. But I didn’t.

That didn’t stop Satan from toying with my mind the rest of the day. And the day after that. Satan kept reminding me that I’m unappreciated, that the man has no clue how valuable I am and all the times I’ve saved him money.

Then I remembered that none of that matters. God matters. And doing everything I do to the very best of my ability, regardless of the circumstances or attitudes of others, reflects on Him. Because I belong to God.

It’s not easy to remain silent. I don’t always. And sometimes words must be spoken because no one deserves abuse. But other times words are said in frustration and aren’t meant to be taken to heart. They shouldn’t have been said but they also shouldn’t be agonized over.

It’s called letting it go and moving on. Honestly, it’s not worth the time or effort. Continuing to think about them and refusing to let them go only gives Satan a foothold into your mind and your actions. And that always leads to trouble and destruction.

He is a good man. Kind most of the time. With a tremendous amount of pressure resting on his shoulders. I know all that. And knowing that makes it easier to let it go.

Not that it matters. Because we are here for His glory and not our own. Our lives, our actions and our words should reflect God’s light outward toward the world. Sometimes that means we must walk away when we really would rather give them what we think they deserve.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Trust God With The Details

“Yet you have forgotten the LORD, your Creator, the one who put the stars in the sky and established the earth. Will you remain in constant dread of human oppression? Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies from morning till night?” -- Isaiah 51:13

What did you worry about today? Oh, come on! I know you worried about something. Almost everyone does. It doesn’t change anything. Worry doesn’t solve problems. But we do it anyway.

I worry about the future. I’m not alone in that. Some people worry about affording retirement. Others worry about paying the rent or mortgage. Still others are concerned about providing for their children.

Sometimes worry can motivate us. In that way, it’s not always bad. Worry can motivate someone to get a better job or save more money. But worry can also destroy our health and our relationships. Worry becomes the focus rather than people.

I’ve come to realize that worry doesn’t change anything because I can’t change those around me. I can only work on me. And what I want most of all is to follow God and do His will. So why do I worry so much about what other people think or what other people want from me?

But I do. Don’t you? We want people to like us. We want to have friends. We want our families to love us. We want to be smart and successful and valued by others. And it doesn’t happen, well, it hurts.

People can just be so unpredictable. Just when you think things are going well, something else pops up. Most of us have had someone like that in our lives at one time or another. I once had a boss who said one thing when she meant another. And not just to me. Another person asked her about it. She just chuckled but didn’t offer an explanation. I’ve always believed it was a power thing fueled by insecurity.

It doesn’t really matter. I tried to please her. Others tried to please her. No one could. She wasn’t an awful person. She just didn’t have a clue. I learned a valuable lesson about trying to please impossible people. Don’t even try.

When it comes down to it, we need only please God. If we do His will, everything will be fine. It doesn’t mean we won’t have rough waters. We will. But we’ll be headed in the right direction and we’ll be supported by the Creator of the universe.

So stop worrying about things you can’t change and people who will never be satisfied. Focus your time and attention on God. He’s got your back. Trust Him.