Irritated On Purpose

Going off on her in your mind didn’t help.

Not getting any sleep didn’t help.

Stressing out because the situation seems out of your control—yeah, that didn’t help.

Putting in your complaint about her seeming obsession with control surely didn’t do the trick.

Praying to God to remove her—well, she’s still there, so not sure where that prayer went.

Have you ever thought that “she” was put there on purpose to irritate you?

I know we don’t like people who irritate us, cause problems or make us stress. For just a moment, let’s take a paradigm shift and see things from a different perspective. Maybe she was put there to make you a better person and build character in you. Maybe there is something in her that you need to improve on internally, and the fact that she is around you irritates you, but guess what? It’s for your good.

In the past I would run from situations like that and just calmly remove myself from people who irritate me, but lately I am understanding that when I am in process, it will not always be pleasurable. As God is shaping me and molding me, He will at times use other “tools/people” to cut out of me what He can’t use.

It hurts, yes, and requires an GREAT amount of humility, but remember it’s all for your good, and when you submitted in the beginning to the process, this struggle was a part of that agreement.

Remember lifting your hands in worship, saying “I’ll follow YOUUUU, God, I”ll follow YOUU!”? Well, this is a part of it.

Submission to God in this area is act of the heart, not just you saying yes. Have you ever told someone yes after saying no, but in your heart you are still saying no? God looks at the content of our hearts, and He desires you to submit in your heart first.

Let me warn you: It’s going to feel like you’re breaking. Let the tears flow, and give in to the breaking of your flesh. God is our Father, and He knows exactly what we need. God is interested in how you respond to situations in your life and not just what happens.

Let’s face it—we all will have troubles at some point.

Not everyone will be our best friend, and at times there will be that ONE person who drives us crazy.

How are you going to respond?

What example of Christ will you show?

You never know. That person may be looking at you as an example of Christ. Your life maybe the only Bible they read every day. Are you displaying a “living epistle read among men”?  One of the best chapters in the Bible to meditate on, whether you’re dealing with a dating situation or just friends, is 1 Corinthians 13. Stare at the verses and allow them to change your heart as the irritation goes away. Remember, our first mandate is to love God; our second responsibility is love our neighbor.

The next time you run into someone who irritates the MESS out of you and won’t seem to go away no matter how hard you pray, just think—you just might be irritated on purpose, with purpose, to press you into your purpose.