Elul 9 :: A Look in the Mirror

Today's introspection was sparked by the response of Cain after he killed his brother Abel. If you aren't familiar with the story, God asked Cain one simple question: Where is your brother?

Thinking on this interaction, it had honestly never occurred to me before that Cain wasn't lying when he told God, I don't know. Of course he knew where Abel's body had been buried, but he obviously never would have had any reason to ponder the question of Life After Death.

Cutting to the chase, and thinking on this:  It's very easy for us to forget that, while God does love us, so does He love the other people He has created. And, to further complicate matters, He can - and does - place other people within our sphere of influence and interaction for reasons that are often only apparent to Him. It has been my experience that frequently my rough edges are in need of "sanding off", and what better tool to accomplish that task than a piece of sandpaper in the form of an "irritating" person.

There are a multitude of ways to remove an irritation. A burr in your sock can easily be picked off. A co-worker in the next cubicle - not so much. For that, one option might be to remove yourself from the situation (if you are independently wealthy and don't need that paycheck); you could la-la-la or self-medicate the irritation into the background (not ideal), or you can figure out how to work within the situation and learn to understand the other person (not always possible, but sometimes compromise is the best answer.) Obviously, there are nuances to my hypothetical scenarios, and variations can be applied to most irritations, such as a bad marriage, "unfavorable" election results, traffic jams when you're late, etc. You catch my drift.

Easy challenge for today:

Think of the people who most irritate you. Some should be people you know personally; others should be some you know only through media [celebrities, politicians, world rulers, etc.]

Not so easy second challenge:

Now, think of how God can use that person’s action to bring forth good in your life or in the world.

Interestingly, when the challenge was given, I assumed my list would be short. Probably not surprising: The answer was NO. (And I think of myself as a fairly amiable person with only a "few" idiosyncrasies.) But, judging by the vitriol constantly spewing from the headlines, Twitter, Facebook, etc., attacking various politicians, public policies, Supreme Court decisions, entertainers, and the like,  I am obviously not the only one that is irritated.

It's in coming up with an example of how God can use those irritating actions to bring forth good in our lives - that is the real challenge because, let's face it, deep down we are all still 2 years old when it comes to wanting our own way. This is what requires thinking outside the box. It requires daring to imagine that we might not have the whole picture, or we need to adjust our perspective.

Dare I say it? I think this is where Trusting God comes in. Laying down the blueprints we have drawn for our lives and saying, Not my will, but Yours be done. As Christine Miller says on her blog, There may be things you don’t understand, but He is sending His understanding to you to recognize God-appointed key connections and new relationships.