That One Person Who Gets on Your Nerves

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Is there somebody in your life that just pushes your buttons? Somebody's face just popped into your mind, right?

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Well, that's okay, mine too. In Calcutta's bustling market in the heat of the afternoon, a nun you've probably heard of before, Mother Teresa, walked up to one of the city's richest shopkeepers, a man known for despising charity work. She stretched out her hand and said, Please, sir, could you spare something for my children? The man glared at her and spat right into her palm. Now be honest, what would you do if someone did that to you? Behold that thought.

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We'll come back to Mother Teresa in just a minute. Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives, your daily reset to refocus your heart and your mind. I'm Bart Léger, and after more than 40 years as a pastor, I've learned this. The people who test your patience the most are often the very people God uses to teach you how to love Him. Listen to what Colossians 3.13 says. Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Now let's be real. Some people just get under your skin, right? They interrupt you all the time, or they are disagreeable. They forget what you said five minutes ago because they weren't listening.

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Or maybe they've done something to you that's hard to forget.

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The Bible doesn't ignore that.

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It doesn't claim that everything will be puppy dogs and rainbows.

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As a matter of fact, Colossians 3 assumes we will have faults.

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It assumes we'll offend each other. That's why it says, Make allowance. Build in space for other people's rough edges. And do you want me to let you in on a little secret? You probably get on other people's nerves too sometimes. You and I don't have to pretend someone's behavior is okay for us to show them grace.

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We don't have to excuse it, but we do have to decide, Will I let this offense rule the way I treat them? Or will I let Christ's forgiveness shape my response? When we react out of anger or frustration, it usually makes the problem worse, doesn't it? But when we stop to take a breath and respond with calm, patient grace, it can change the temperature in the room. That's exactly what happened with Mother Teresa. She didn't flinch.

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She calmly wiped the spit onto her sorry, looked the man in the eye, and said, Thank you for what you've given me. Now, will you give me something for my children? He was stunned. No way he expected that. Instead of reacting to the insult, she responded to him with dignity and grace. And it worked. He reached into the till, handed her money, and it was said that from that day on, he continued to support the orphanage. What would have happened if she yelled or stormed off? Probably not that. Today, you may come across someone who tests your last nerve. When you do, take a breath and ask God for the grace to make allowance. Father, thank you for being patient with us.

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Help us reflect that same grace when we're tested by others.

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Teach us how to love others patiently. Father, help us to forgive freely and trust you to handle the rest. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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that you would like someone else to go to God for you, let me pray for you. You can let me know your request by going to the show notes and clicking on Send Me a Text or leaving me a voicemail at dailydevotionsforbusylives.com slash voicemail. And let's see God answer that prayer. Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

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Remember, grace can douse the fire that anger ignites. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.