People Pleaser

When do you stop thinking of others and start thinking of yourself?
When do you stop thinking of yourself and start thinking of others?
Where do the two ideas meet in the middle?
Is that even possible?

As I've gotten older, there is a personality trait of mine that is very clear...I am a people pleaser. My wish in life is for everyone to hold hands in a circle, smile, and sing kume-by-ya (or however the eff you spell it) and just be happy with themselves and each other. Oh, how far we all are from that idea. Everyone has problems with themselves and it seems that everyone has problems with at least one other person. Such is life, I suppose. We can't all be expected to get along. That's asking a lot. People hurt us. People break our hearts. People tear us down. Constantly. It's a struggle.

But here's a thought...what if we lift each other up anyway?

I've gotten myself into destructive situations in the past because I've not taken the hurtful and spiteful things people have said and done to me seriously. Instead I've been nice to them anyway and given them even more of a license to walk all over me. Why did I do that? I don't know exactly. Maybe I'm just an idiot. But I sincerely don't think that we were put on this Earth to walk all over people. And I've tried to live my life by the credo "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If someone bullies you or hurts you or flat-out almost kills you from their words or actions, your first instinct may be to tell them exactly how you feel about them or hurt them back. After all, they deserve it right? ...Wrong.

We are all lost, confused, tired children of God. We all struggle. We all feel pain. If you are one of the few who are actually able to wrap your brain around the idea that EVERYONE has emotions (even the people who we hate), I urge you to not seek revenge or other means of retaliation against these people. I urge you instead to pray for them, assess the situation, and try to learn from it.

Life is hard. People are difficult to deal with. But what's the point of making enemies? What's the point of being mean? What's the point of war? In my 21 years, I can't find a reason except to fulfill ones own selfish desires. We all do it. I'm guilty as well. No doubt about it. But all of us must remember that we are, at heart, mind and soul, united. We must love one another. Not tolerate one another. Not deal with one another. LOVE. It's God's command.

On the other hand, you'll sometimes come across a person in your life that you will find incredibly easy to love. These people are called friends. Some of them are called lovers (boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives). The closest of these are called family. Cherish these people. They love you so much. Love them. Love them until you die. Never let them go. Ever. Life is too short.

Life is just too short. Let us enjoy it. Kume-by-ya. (Or however the eff you spell it)