Irritations

 

My right eye has been bothering me for several weeks. It started out as a sharp pain that went away, then became a nagging irritation that persisted.  I finally went to see the ophthalmologist this week and he found a suture from my previous surgery was rubbing against the surface of my eye. He removed the suture and I’ve been fine since then.

 

We all have irritations that bother us each day. They don’t have to be big problems; in fact, it’s usually the little nagging issues that wear on us day in and day out. They rob us of some of the peace and joy that we are meant to have. We may find it easier to bring the big problems to God because we know that they are too big for us to deal with on our own. We can let the little things fester and make us irritable.  Like my eye problem, we may have to do something about them in order to feel better.

 

The first step towards living a more peaceful life is to take inventory of who or what may be irritating us. We may not even recognize our irritations after awhile, like a dripping faucet that fades into the background of our consciousness. We next should see whether we can do something to make the situation better, and whether the problem is of our own making. For those situations not subject to change, we can ask God to help us better cope with them. Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…..I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).

 

We will feel less irritated when we are living constantly in the Spirit’s love, for “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

 

Like Paul, let’s strive to be content today, trusting in God to help us overcome whatever keeps us from His peace.