Changing One's Spots

Question

I do believe that pleasing God should be my first priority in life, yet I find myself hopelessly stuck in a painful pattern of pleasing other people instead. How can I change this tendency in myself? It seems impossible!

Answer

Understandably, making such a profound change in one's self can seem daunting - not unlike asking a leopard to change his spots. And frankly, from a strictly human perspective, achieving such an alteration (in a truly lasting manner) is impossible.

Fortunately, that is where God and the power of his loving grace enter in. Given you were created by God and his life force flows through every ounce of your being, he clearly has the power to alter the very pattern of your existence. All that is needed is your sincere, heart-felt permission to allow the process.

Hence, do not seek to change such ingrained patterns through your own efforts - you will only end up feeling even more frustrated and hopeless down the line. Instead, place all of your focus on strengthening your belief in God's power to change all because he is ALL! Then simply stand aside and let the work begin - steadily trusting both his timing and means.

Regularly exposing yourself to others who are developed in this regard, either directly or via their inspired works, is an excellent way to support the process. Temporarily avoiding influences that weaken your belief is also paramount.

I can solidly guarantee that in taking this approach, you will discover significantly greater treasures along the way than merely the release of your people pleasing tendencies. And that is often how God works - he regularly uses the thorn in one's side (in your case, people pleasing tendencies) to garner your attention long enough to point out the truly great, often eternal rewards you would otherwise miss!

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