Sandpaper People
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Friend, you may have a “sandpaper??? person in your life… someone who can be an irritant — who rubs you the wrong way. But author Mary Southerland admits, “Difficult relationships shape us down here, to fit us up there.???
A co-worker was like sandpaper to Ruth. But Ruth decided to commit to God’s best, rather than a fleshly response. She began praying for her co-worker and loving her.
And God honored that choice. Today they’re good friends and pray together during their lunch hours.
Dear one, dedication like this is costly. It will be tempting to give up. But true commitment takes sacrifice, discipline and a willingness to give of your time and yourself. God uses your difficult relationship to refine and define you. He fills your heart with His unconditional and always available love.
About the Author: This devotional was written by Vonette Bright. Learn more about Vonette: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/vonette/
Related Book
Sandpaper People: http://www.marysoutherland.com or http://www.harvesthousepublishers.
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15 Responses to “Sandpaper People”
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You have a helper, in the presence, person and power of the Holy spirit, all you have to do is ask Him for total recall in your time of need, and when the time arises He will indeed bring them back to your rememberance, believe me it works I couldn’t have made it this far without it.
In my 11 year walk with the Lord there is no way possible i could have remembered all the scriptures i have had to use during this time, BUT IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT, I WOULD HAVE FAILED, HE IS OUR WAY OF ESCAPE IF WE BUT TRUST, RELY AND DO, OR SAY JUST WHAT HE TELLS US TO DO AND SAY. tHAT’S THE REASON JESUS GAVE US THIS TREASURE, THIS PRECIOUS GIFT, HE KNEW WE WERE GONNA NEED HIM! Now i didn’t mean to preach to you, but over the years he has become my closest and dearest friend, whom i have come to greatly lean and depend, HE WILL BE THAT TO YOU, IF YOU BUT LET HIM!
BLESSINGS, TRY HIM AND SEE, YOU ALREADY GOT THE VICTORY!
Connie,
Those are great. Hope I can remember them when the time comes. k
I like to difuse the sandpaper people in my life by using a couple of my favorite Proverbs; “A soft word turns away wrath” and “lov you enemies as yourself”. I have found these really do work.
Letting God’s Holy Spirit guide you thru difficulty situations is always the easiest way out.
Thanks, Gramma.
k
Hi Kay,I hope you find your way back here and will continue to find comfort and encouragement (I do as well)It sounds to me as if you have learned (if I may use some song titles)”Jesus Loves me” and “This Little Light of Mine” and now are learning to “Climb Up Sunshine Mountain” so we can be “On Our Way Rejoicing” in spite of — and as a witness to all those sand paper people.
Hi to all,
Just came across this site and was thrilled to find it.
There are several sandpaper friends in my life. It is so hard to put up with them. I have prayed for them to be saved (if they are not) and have given them a Bible. But it is evident they do not want to talk about God. I mentioned His name and got a dirty look. It is so hard for me to cope with some of these people. I am far from perfect, but some of them do things that intice old habits to return. Mentioned about not causing others to go back to old ways, and it meant nothing to them. Others just argue with everything. I understand I am to treat them with love and patience, but it sure is hard. Please pray that I will be able to do so next time with them. And I already pray for their ways to change. Now if mine will, maybe things will be better. Thanks for listening.
kay
sO DO I, IF WE COULD ONLY BE ABLE TO SEE IT THIS WAY WHEN WE GO THROUGH OTHER TOUGH TRAILS IN OUR LIVES, I DO BELIEVE IT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER FOR ALL CONCERNED ESPECIALLY US. WE CAUSE OURSELVES MORE PAIN I BELEIVE THAN GOD EVER INTENED FOR US TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE, ONLY BECAUSE WE WANT TO FIGHT HIM, WHEN ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS CAUSE OUR FLESH TO DIE SO WE CAN LIVE, THE LIFE WE SAY , WE PRAY FOR HIM TO ALLOW US TO LIVE.
BLESSINGS!
And THAT’s one of those marvelous wonders isn’t it Trish? We do what we’re told … so to speak, it’s FOR someone else … and it benifits us. I find that miraculas. Thanks for sharing.
And that is exactly what the Lord caused me to do, loose some skin, He had to use my co-worker to rub some of my flesly sinful way off of me, and begin to do it he did, because what He asked me to do, went totally agsinst my flesh, cause it didn’t want to give her that bible, but as i look back now, i am so very glad I did. even though i may nexver know just how it affected her, but i know just what effect it had on me, it has made me more plyable in the Hand of Almighty God especially in this area.
What a neat devotional. And thanks. If you’ve ever looked at a piece of sandpaper from across the room … and then walked over and picked it up, you’re already aware that it looks smooth from afar. So do we! It’s ONLY when you get up close and personal that we are able to hurt each other. (and why some hold everyone at arms length)
There’s one more angle that applies here. SOMEtimes, we are the instrument of God’s Peace. It may not be for ME but for the edification of another that I loose a little … skin … to the sandpaper. How I handle the situation may be the strongest witness I ever have. Thanks for sharing, Ladies.
AMEN, AMEN AND AMEN, LISA
I wasnt going to come online this morning, I wasnt going to open my emails, and I wasnt going to read this daily devotional….but I did, I did, and I did!
Why wasnt I going to do all of this?
Because I was going to spend some more time licking the sandpaper wounds I have received this week.
Now I find myself smiling once again at me trying to do it all in my own strength & within one still and quiet moment I have heard God’s voice and I know how to go about loving my boss so we can both get on with our jobs.
I wish back then i too had been able to have a saved supervisor, but mine were not, and my supervisor at the time liked to see us at each others throat.
I am just glad that the Lord had His hand on me durning that time, because otherwise i know i would have lost it.
There were many more times before the Lord took me away from that job, that he showed himself strong in my life. Now i know what it was all about, He was prepareing me for the most important decision i whould ever have to make in my life, and that was to come home, and work for Him, but before he could do that He had to build my confidence in Him. But it’ like you said, he will give you what you need just when you need it.
Hi,
I am a supervisor and I face some sandpaper every day. I lioke to let the sandpaper loose its rough finish before I react. Then when I do, I try to do it in a very professional and respectful way. Thanks to the Lord who gives me patience and avenues to speak to coworkers.
This ia a wonderful devotion, I myslf have found myself in this same place when I worked at the Hospital for 12 years, and once again since I have been fully walking with the Lord, in my personall life.
The time on my job was an experience I’ll never forget, the Lord had jusT began to really show himself in my life, and one of my co-workers who had just began to work in our department, had set herself against me, to try and take my job, because she was young enough to had been my daughter, she felt she could do a better job than myself, so she was at war, coming against me on every hand, she was the type to try to get close to you, so she could find out information etc.
but to make a long story short, she had told me she didn’t have a bible, so the Lord laid it on my heart to buy one for her. Durning that week, she worked my patience to know end, she was standing on the very tip of my very last nerve, and on the day that i was to give her her bible, she pushed me so hard that i told myself and another friend that I was not going to give it to her, BUT GOD!!! WOW, I heard His voice speak to me like never before, he told me I was going to give her that bible, and do it with a SMILE! I said but Lord, you know what she has and still is doing, BUT HE SAID, GIVE HER THE BIBLE, i WAS OBEDIENT, but you know my insides were boiling, because what I really wanted to do was to wring her neck.
He told me to put it in her drawer, so she could see it, so , since i valued my building relationship with God better than I valued my anger towards my co-worker, I choise to do as the Lord told me to do, because my anger towards her was not worth me loosing my place in God.
And when she opened her drawer and found the bible, she smiled at me, and then came over and thanked me for it. Now we never became close friends, but I learned a valuable lesson that day, that has stuck with me through the years, when you love the Lord, you do what he tells you to do, like it or not, it all boils down to this one fact. WHOSE WILL MEANS MORE TO YOU. YOURS OR GODS!
BLESSINGS!