Is There Anything God Can’t Do?

One morning after a fun lesson on how God is all-powerful, a Sunday school teacher asked her students, “Now children, is there anything God can’t do?”

There was silence. Finally, one boy held up his hand. The teacher, disappointed that the lesson’s point had been missed, asked: “Just what is it that God can’t do?” “Well,” replied the boy: “God can’t please everybody.”

So true. And neither can you. Some people spend an extraordinary amount of time worrying about what other people think. They allow their decisions to be heavily influenced by what they think others want from them or expect of them.

In his ministry Jesus was extraordinarily loving and compassionate. But, he did not try to please people. He was true to his faith and to his calling, and some people responded with love and others with anger.

In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul said, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

When it comes to the important decisions in life, I pray that God would set us free from our need to please people and empower us to be guided more by our faith and our own hearts.

Let us pray: Loving God, we want to be kind and compassionate. But, we remember today that even in our best moments we will not and cannot make everyone around us happy; for not even you can please everyone, you who are almighty and all powerful. Help us to worry less about what others think and instead live deeply out of a place of hope and faith. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.