Perhaps it’s not our job to make God happy.
We’ve tried every which way.
Obeying our parents (except when we didn’t).
Being a good spouse (except when we aren’t).
Paying our bills and not going into debt (except when we can’t).
And isn’t it THE most important thing?
After all, there are the Ten Commandments.
And the big TWO greatest commandments.
And what we’ve been told all our lives by everyone.
It sure seems like it’s THE most important thing.
It’s why I faithfully went to church and Sunday school and youth group and prayer meeting and led all of those things at one time or another.
It’s why I mustered up the gumption to go on a missions trip to a far-away land even when I was a little afraid (okay, a lot afraid).
It’s why I “made” my kids obey all the rules so they could make God happy too.
It’s preached far and wide by church leaders and authors and YouTubers and parents and 30-year-old me.
It’s subtlety whispered in songs and at dinner tables and around campfires.
And most often, it goes like this.
If you make ME happy, you are making God happy.
I want you to come to this church I’ve planted.
I want you to go on missions trip I’ve planned.
I want you to obey my rules I've made.
That’s why it’s so tricky.
It’s so tangled up and messy and hard to unravel who is who and what is what.
Is this God or others?
Who needs to be happy here?
What actually makes God happy?
Everyone sure has a different opinion about it.
And right now, they are in abundance.
Fight for justice (speak up and out). Fight for peace (be quiet and trust).
Go to church in person. Stay home and social distance.
Vote this way. Vote that way.
It’s one giant jumbled up rubber band waiting to burst.
We don’t know what to think, say or do.
So maybe we do something else.
Maybe we stop.
Perhaps we let that go.
And we think a new thought.
Like this one…
Perhaps it’s not our job to make God happy.
Because He already is.
And we can all breathe a big sigh of relief together.
From my heart to yours,
Esther
P.S. If this feels sandpapery to you, think about this just for minute: God loves us and it's not His job to make us happy. So why do we think the reverse is true? Just saying'