Demanding more

Let’s acknowledge something unpleasant. There are people that will always demand more, will never be satisfied, will never quit even if you give them everything they want from you. It will never be enough. It will never be considered done right. And it will never be considered done with the right attitude.

That’s because these people are fundamentally broken. And they project their brokenness and their lack of self-love onto others, mercilessly.

These are miserable people and we all know that misery loves company – loves to make others miserable too.

You have a choice in how you respond to such people.

Here’s a few suggestions. 1. Don’t ever try to please such an abusive person. You can’t and you shouldn’t. 2. Remember your self-worth and take care of yourself. You can’t possibly help someone else if you are having trouble taking care of yourself. 3. Set boundaries and be firm with them. When an abusive person crosses those boundaries, let them know they crossed a boundary and enforce the consequences. They won’t like it and they will let you know it. Enforce those boundaries anyway – regardless of their opinion about the boundaries. You don’t need their approval to set boundaries. 4. If they persist, walk away without engagement or response. They will do what they can to suck you back in, even trying to insult you. Let them do what they will do and walk away. They won’t admit they are wrong anyway, so don’t waste your time trying to convince them. That just continues with you being sucked into their misery, which is their goal.

And finally 5. Pray for that person. They need it. And so do you. We don’t always have the luxury of breaking ties completely with an abusive person. So you’ll need prayers as well – prayers that guide you for a future encounter.