Common man Christianity

I want to be transparent about something here, and I may be the only one that feels like this, but I don’t think so. I feel like my days are filled with mostly trying to please other people. Like I am bound by the expectations of what others want of me. And I don’t mean that they are trying to manipulate me, although some of them are, I mean I am just trapped by the desire to please people. Am I alone? I don’t think I am.
It is the human condition to want to be liked. It drives us. And then there are some people who say they don’t care what others think about them, but then let someone not like them and see what happens, they may say it does not bother them, but the way they deal with it is to push said person out of their life altogether. That is just another way of controlling those who don’t like you. The bottom line is we all long to be liked, we all want to belong, and when we are not liked or wanted we do what it takes to get away from that feeling of not being liked or not belonging. This is why gangs and organizations that require membership thrive, the human being wants, no needs to belong.
But this morning I have been thinking, what if I lived to please God every moment of every day the way that I live to please others? What if I went out of my way to make sure that He is pleased with me the way I go out of my way to make sure one of my friends is pleased with me? I ask myself this question to test my motives and my love for God. Because, after all, God is the Savior of my soul, He is the Alpha and Omega, He is my everything, He wants me because He loves me not because of what I can do for Him. On the other hand, most of the people that tug at my sleeve every day want me for what I can do for them. Sure they may love me, I don’t doubt that, but what is their motive? It is not like God’s, I promise you that.
If someone manipulates you or me because they know our need for being liked, do they truly love us or do they love what we can do for them? But then look from God’s standpoint, He created everything; there is nothing that you or I can bring Him that He cannot speak into existence on His own! For instance, if God wants a double quarter pound cheeseburger, (I realize the theological implications of that but I am making a point) He would just speak it into existence. God does not need you to love Him, He is love, God does not need to feel acceptance, He is acceptance, and there is no reason at all for God to need you or I. But here is the kicker, He wants you and I. And not only that, He wants what is best for you and me.
So here is the deal, I want to live every day to please God. I don’t want to worry about anyone else, but Him and out of that everyone else will be taken care of. But in order to please Him I have to keep in touch with Him. I have to talk to Him. When those times of the day come and I have decisions to make I have to stop and ask Him, “God, does this please you?” He will answer, I promise. It may be through your conscious, it may be the still small voice, but He will answer if you and I will listen.
Together, today, let us all live to please God.