Paddle your own canoe. Saddle your own broncs. Never ask your friends for more than they would offer on their own.
There is an ancient story about an elderly man and his grandson walking along a road one day with a donkey. Soon they met a man who told them how foolish they were to walk when they had a donkey that could be ridden. So to please the man the old man and his grandson climbed up on the animal’s back. They hadn’t gotten very far when another man criticized them for both riding the donkey. They were too heavy for it, he contended and were being inhumane.. so the boy got off. It wasn’t long before a third traveller accused the elderly man of being inconsiderate because he made the young boy walk while he rode donkey. So the two switched places. Soon they met another person who thought the young boy was not being thoughtful of the old man.
When last seen, the two were trudging down the road carrying the donkey.
Too often we live our life trying to please everybody and if we do that we will end up carrying a needless burden of guilt and inadequacy. Well meaning Christians may offer us advice and much of it is valuable, but we need to remember that the One we must please above all others is God. And we do that by obeying His Word.
Join us at Sidley Mountain Cowboy Church at 6 p.m., the second and fourth Sunday nights of the month. We are meeting at the Bridesville Hall.