“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:6 (NLT)
What do we do when someone is getting under our skin? Like they’re driving us crazy, and yet we sit there with our smile pasted on while our body is cringing in their presence. Usually it happens with someone we constantly have to connect with – a co-worker, family member or perhaps a close friend. Whether they realize it or not, they’re pushing our buttons.
Desperately trying to avoid an emotional outburst, we find ourselves hiding behind our feelings. And the closer the person is to us, the quicker we start stirring up our mind with negativity – building a list of all their wrongs. We see them in a different light or shall I say a different darkness.
When our thinking chooses to maximize someone’s weakness, we lose sight of their strengths and our actions start to follow our thinking. Patience and grace slip under the table when we encounter this person. Responses will eventually spew out of our mouth and reactions follow leaving little for God to find pleasure in.
Wonder what would have happened if instead of scrutinizing them, we got down on our knees and began to pray? Wonder if our patience level would have increased or better yet we might have gained wisdom in uncovering why they were getting under our skin?
Prayer has an incredible way of illuminating the truth and supplying us with God’s grace. When we bring all our relationships to Him, He reveals the true value of their soul. Gently, He reminds us that this one was worthy of the cross – shouldn’t we see them that way too?
“Father, help me to love others by choosing to focus on their strengths while leaving their weaknesses in Your hands.”
For His Glory
Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life
trbccoffeebreak 
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