Shhh. Come close, I have a secret to share. Ready? Here it is. Not everyone likes me. Not a shocker? I didn’t think so. Reality. It’s harsh. And as a recovering people pleaser, my skin isn’t very thick. I know that it is trendy to be strong and blow away insults with a single confident puff followed by a quick hair toss, but that’s not me. And truth be told, I don’t think that is suppose to be me either. My heart is tender. Nurturing is my nature.
While bundling a reptilian tough fabric around my feelings isn’t God’s design for me, neither are my current methods for handling situations that leave me feeling vulnerable and unworthy. This past week, through several different circumstances, I felt as though God whispered in my ear, “We are going to deal with the issue of rejection for once and for all.” When my gut reaction was to think Oh, no, I don’t want to go there, He replied, “Angela, sweetheart, you live there. You need to get out of that run down shack for good. Now, pick up your chin and let’s get moving.”
And move we did. In fact, we’re still moving and it’s not a care free stroll along the beach. It’s a grueling climb on a frozen, rocky terrain. And I ache. From deep within, I ache.
To read the rest of this story, please visit Faith Lifts
28 comments:
just finished reading the rest of this post at "faith lifts" and have bookmarked that page. oh how i relate to this...oh how i struggle to desire pleasing God above pleasing others...to put the past in the past once and for all and live for the "audience of One" rather than the voices from the past or present or future. thank you for sharing...i have only come by your blog a few times now, but my heart is encouraged and my view of God becomes a bit less "cloudy" as a read.
Excellent, my friend. Thank you for your honesty along your journey.
Rejection and people pleasing have always been a problem of mine! I think that God may be dealing with me in the same areas. Thanx for the post! Right on time!
Dear Lord-I pray for Angela to have supernatural strength... for her to be confident in her knowledge that she can do anything through you.
THank you for knowing Angela's hearts' desire so intimately that you know healing in necessary in her life...and thank you for guiding her every step of the way.
Thank you dear Jesus-
Amen
God bless-Amanda
http://iammommy.typepad.com
Great post! Exactly what I needed to hear today. I've been thinking about my own rejection for the past couple of days. This helps more than I can put into words.
Truly excellent. So concise and well put.
That was an awesome post!! How amazing is it that we can be thankful even in our struggles because it is all apart of a bigger plan.
Good job!!
Ronel
I see I'm not the only one who is relating greatly to this. :) There are many who struggle with the people pleasing thing. For me it is one of the greatest struggles of my life. The kind that you think you may have tackled and then realize it is a process - A long one! Thank you for helping me in the process. I'm getting there. :)
By the way, I love the way your button looks so pretty on my blog. :) It matches and is a part of my design. :)
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19
Angela, you are a forerunner!
What a very open-hearted post. I know it took a lot even for you to write that. I do NOT like confrontation and it makes me really think hard about making sure I don't hurt anyones feelings because I am sensitive as well. Thank you for sharing.
Ahhh...I think this often accompanies being a female. It's painful and it's hard. And it's often a root that reappears just when we think we've really dealt with it. May God give you peace that passes all understanding as you go through this growth spot.
Susan
Rejection, unfortunately, is a common battle for many of us. The enemy has distorted things as they came into our lives to tell us that it's us, there's something wrong with us....... It's not us. It's the flesh..
I too had a best friend move on when we reached High School. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with me anymore, it was that she had too many other commitments in the "popular crowd" to continue our relationship. It felt like rejection.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hugs,
Julie
I'm right there with you. And too often I say, "I don't want to go there" because it just seems to painful to deal with. But I know it's not healthy. And like you said, I'm living there every day anyway, and He just wants to show me how to be free from it all.
I am currently reading thru "Captivating" by John and Staci Eldridge. It is very insightsful into the heart of a woman and the desires God has programed into us. It has helped me better understand my own feelings of rejection. Thanks for sharing! I will be praying for you as you continue this journey
so true! i read the rest over at the other blog & felt God truly speaking to me about the rejections i've had in the past...sometimes trying to please people, sometimes just being rejected outright for NOTHING I did. but Jesus can relate with us more than we will ever know...He experienced the ultimate rejection. What a God we serve who knows our innermost self.
Loved it, Angela!
Having grown up as "the peacemaker" in an alcoholic/co-dependent family, I can very much relate to this post. I've been struggling with why my own blog seems so boring, and I think part of it is that I haven't allowed myself to be honest and real due to who I might offend in the process.
Part of that is that I rarely talk about my faith and how it impacts my life. I guess it's time to change some things. Thank you!
I can certainly relate! Thanks girl. Blessings.
Seriously great post. I can so relate. I have been there and am very much a work in progress with this!
Thank you, again, for the award...I've finally passed it along :o)
Hi Angela.. ((( Hugz))) I can totally relate I wrote a poem on my blog about getting over the disease to please lol. It's under The " Just Us Women" Post. You write from the heart my sister, and you are truly an encouragement. Besides the only person we should be pleasing is the Lord. I haven't been feeling well lately so I needed to come by give you a hug and catch up on my reading here.
Blessings Lorie
Wonderful post Angela! Thanks for the challenge to focus on God's truth and love, not the praise of others. This is definitely an area I need to work on!
Thanks for your comment!
Brianna
I am sorry for your struggle but I can relate! I feel that I grow in this area every year, but it is an ongoing process!
Don't you love it when you think you've dealt with something and it's over, then God says NO, IT AIN'T?
I can so relate to everthing you said.marina
you are so open and honest. I have felt the way you have written about many times over. I thank God that you are here!
I am a recovering people pleaser and it is NOT EASY. Your post comes at a time when I am struggling with my own insecurity. Thanks for your wisdom.
Oh have you been in my head these past two days?
You said: It’s a grueling climb on a frozen, rocky terrain. And I ache.
I ache too...from deep, deep within. God is working with me though. I know He is here.
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