THINK ABOUT IT            1-24-25

THINK ABOUT IT                  1-24-25      
WEAK AND WEARY AND WORRIED

The old song says,”I’m tired and so weary”. That describes a lot of folks. And since we can’t escape trials we must endure them or be endangered by them. However, doing so successfully is a serious struggle. It, in fact, sometimes seems impossible. I’ll admit that this often troubles me because I can think of numerous people I would like to help and people I would love to spend more time with. However, by the time I do what I can I can’t do what I would were it not for physical ailments. And that often leaves me with a feeling of guilt- because there is so much to do.

Even when I convince myself that if God expected me to do it He would give me the strength to do it, sometimes I worry about what others might think – worried that they might think that I don’t care. There I said it – I said “worry” – the very thing I keep telling other people not to do. Now I’m confessing that I’m sometimes guilty of it. I’m not proud of it or justifying it. To the contrary, I’m confessing it. I have faults just like everyone else and right now this is one of them. Perhaps it is pride, or it might be an overreaction to the way I was as a young preacher when I didn’t care what others thought. Whatever the cause it’s something I struggle with.

I don’t mention this to get your pity. Believe it or not, this is something I would rather not talk about. I would rather have people believe that I’m always strong and content. After all, I’m a pastor and in the mind of many we’re not supposed to fail. I am mentioning this because I need your prayers! I also mention it because I’m convinced that there are others who are plagued by the same problem. It might be you! 

You would like to be there for others in their time of need, it would delight you to help them, but you are barely keeping your head above water. You can hardly keep yourself going. In your heart you know God doesn’t expect you to do what you can’t, but you worry about what others think. You know there will be some who mis-judge you and that bothers you. You want to live up to their expectations and please them, but you can’t. The question is, How can we escape the expectations of others? How can we conquer the problem of trying to please people?

Here’s some thoughts that have helped me. Hopefully they will help you. First of all you need to consider the cost of trying to please people. Here’s why:

 (1) It can cause you to displease the Lord by missing His plan for you. Paul showed that he understood that when he said, “— we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” ( 1 Thess. 2:4).