Do people sometimes annoy the snot out of you? It happens to me. A lot. Usually, it’s another driver who refuses to drive the way I want him to. The nerve of some
people.
It can also be my spouse, one of our children, a neighbor, a friend, or a church member.
The list of possibilities is endless.
There are times I even annoy myself.
I read a devotional recently that knocked me back a few steps. It was in Jesus
Today by Sarah Young. She wrote when someone irritates or upsets me, to try to see
God in that person. Seek to remember He created everyone in His image.
Even the guy who just cut me off. Or the woman drifting through a red light because
her phone distracts her. Or the kids running through a quiet restaurant while
their parents ignore them.
Forgiving
Forgiving these people is not as easy as it sounds. That initial flare-up of irritation
can simmer for a long time, ruining the rest of my day and threatening my
relationships with other people I encounter. If I let it.
The first step for me is to acknowledge the feeling and to recognize that’s it wrong to
let that momentary flash poison the rest of my day or poison the relationship.
The next step is to pause and pray for the Holy Spirit to intervene, to help me see that
person as made in God’s image. Just like me.
The step I want to get to forgive. And to forgive quickly so the irritation
doesn’t fester and lead me to do something I might regret.
To live in peace, I must forgive people quickly—including myself.
2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT): Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these
last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and
peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
Being a fiction writer gives me another option. I can always put them in a story and exact my revenge there.
How do you deal with annoying people?
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