Pleased part 3
There is such a huge difference between trying to make someone be pleased with you, and doing things because you know someone IS pleased in you. And did you catch the difference of phrase there? Something being pleased WITH you is completely conditional. Someone being pleased IN you has nothing to do with what you do and everything to do with who you are. I'm pleased with my son because he's my son. He's my boy. My guy. And, yes, there are things he does that make me even more proud of him than usual. But no matter what, when I see him... he brings a smile to my face. He brings me happiness. I'm pleased by him. Again... because he's mine. Plain and simple. But I digress. I could certainly Rant the whole time about how much I love my kid, but I'm trying to talk about how much our heavenly Father loves us. And, specifically today, about how His love and acceptance and affirmation empowers us. Because the difference between trying to get someone's pleasure, and knowing you already have it is the difference--quite simply and literally--between works and labor (which don't work) and rest. Now don't forget that rest is NOT inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And the Holy Spirit directs us to love. And love is the maximum effort that we can give. So rest is really giving everything you are and everything you have. But not in order to get. Simply because you have something that is worth sharing. Something that is worth giving. And since you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have... you have to know and believe the love of God before you can do anything with it. Unfortunately, we don't always know and believe that love (even though its there whether we know it and believe it or not), and we spend a lot of our time, talent, and treasure trying to get something we've already got. And in so doing we rob ourselves from experiencing it. We try to earn Father God's approval, and we wear ourselves slap out. Because we can't earn it. It can't be earned. But it is freely given. HAS BEEN freely given. We already have it. And because we already have it, we can turn our focus away from ourselves (trying to get something we think we haven't got by being someone we're not) and onto each other. We can stop being self-centered and start being Christ-centered. Which means being people-centered. Because we love God by loving people. And we love God because He first loved us. We received His love by releasing His love. By letting Him love the hell out of us, and loving each other with that same love. By knowing (and believing) that God is pleased with us. Even when we mess up. Doesn't He always make a message out of our mess? So He doesn't kill us for messing up. He helps us learn and grow by the things we go through. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Even when you mess up. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Nothing. He is pleased with you. Even on your bad days. So don't disqualify yourself. Don't hide from His presence or run from Him. Just do your best, and forget the rest. Give what you've got, knowing that what you've got is enough. You don't need anything else. You have what you need to have and you are who you need to be. Be you. His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased!