Pleasing other people, why sometimes you can't

I read a book by Max Lucado called He Still Moves Stones while I was taking the weekend off in Philadelphia and New York (which, of course, is why I haven't blogged in quite a while, sorry about that), and in it Lucado mentions things regarding the expectations of others and how we are perceived by others, especially relatives. He goes on to say that you can be the best daughter a father has and he will still never treat you like he should, you could disappoint your aunt with a career and change it a million times and still never get her support or approval. He then parallels our struggles with pleasing others to that of Jesus' struggle in pleasing his own family. His family didn't fully accept him either while he was of the flesh. And the thing is, if Jesus can't please his family or friends, then maybe we expect too much in pleasing everyone in our own life.

That being said, I have some further comments. College, has always been a big dream of mine, top three things I've strived to do well in, get to, and claim victory and success over. I was excited to be going and then terrified. And now I've had change of heart in the place that I want to be. And I am not pleasing very many people, let me tell you. It is not easy to change your mind when others liked your original plan so much. But here's what I'm stuck on, these people also always told me I should follow my heart, and so I am. And in doing so I may be disappointing some, maybe many, but when they see the joy I find maybe they will feel better about my decision, and then maybe not. But people, you have to do what you need. You have to find your own path and sometimes it veers from what others imagined for you. But it doesn't veer from what God imagined. So I just challenge you to do what you feel is right for you. You will make mistakes, but they are yours to make.

It goes back, I think, to a previous blog of mine about leaving. In it I said, "It's like people expect you to always stay and sometimes you just can't. Sometimes it's just time to go. Because if you don't leave it will never be your life, it will be theirs...and then maybe...one day...you will stay because it will be your life...because you've already done all your leaving." If you change the words a bit you can come up with this, therefore creating a sort of formula for why you can't always please people: "It's like people expect you to always do what they have planned and sometimes you just can't. Sometimes it's just time to change plans. Because if you don't change plans it will never be your life, it will be theirs...and then maybe...one day...you will stick to a plan because it will be your plan...because you've already done all your path carving."