We all have had to deal with difficult people at some time, even within our families. Although no one enjoys dealing with difficult people, they do test our obedience to God and His Word. Difficult people can help us grow in the fruits of the spirit, build our patience, and our character. Joyce Myers calls difficult people “sandpaper” people. She says God uses them to smooth down the rough edges in our personality. I agree. We can either let them smooth our rough edges or snatch us out of character. We get to make the choice. The closer our relationship with God, the harder it is to be snatched out of character. I didn’t say it is impossible, but it is harder when we want to please God. We know God desires us to love the unlovable, be kind to the unkind, be patient in the face of ugly impatience and bless those who are cruel. His glory shines out of us into the darkness of people’s soul. Lord have mercy, it. is. not. easy to love some people. We cannot do it if we rely on our emotions. We can only do it when we rely on God and the Holy Spirit living within us. It is easy to love those who love us, help those who help us, and appreciate those who appreciate us. However that is not what scripture teaches us. According to scripture, we should love everyone, even our enemies. Trust me this does not mean we are to be foolish. Sometimes we have to love from a distance. Sometimes as hard as it may be, we have to love people enough to give them up. Not give up on them, but trust God enough to give them up to Him. We can continue to pray for them and at the same time guard our hearts. We cannot let anyone, or anything steal the peace we receive from our Lord Jesus. With that being said we must seek God to know when its time to trust Him enough to let them go. And we must continue to pray for them while we set boundaries. The one thing I know for sure is we need to show mercy and grace to all, even those who we think don’t deserve it. Why? Because Jesus does it for us every day even though we don’t deserve it. We may have been sandpaper people at some point in our lives (and some of us still are) but Christ loves us unconditional. We all need the grace of God in our lives. God wants us to love each other the same way that He loves us, unconditional. Love and Blessings…
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45)
“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Colossians 4:6)
“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he love us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved). (Ephesians 2:4-5)
EMMANUEL 