….if you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am… John 4:10

God sometimes sends us “gifts” in the form of people into our lives.  However, these are not the wonderful people that we thank Him for everyday but these are the “sand paper” people- let’s call them SPs.  Sometimes these SPs are coworkers, bosses, neighbors, family members and do I even dare to say  “friends”? 

Allow me to further define these SPs in our lives: they are generally nice people, smile a lot, are at time courteous, may even be intelligent, others love them, they seem to have it all BUT they irritate you like CRAZY!!!  Can I be real???  Sometimes even their voice sends goose bumps up your arm or even give you a headache!!!!

However, can I challenge you to think about SPs a little differently today?  Let’s see what beautiful piece of furniture has not been sanded down a few times?  What beautifully polished wood floors have not been given a good sand job?  What precious antique has not gone through a good sanding to become the beauty that people are willing to pay unforeseen amounts of money for it?  Admit it, consider it, think about it….we need SPs in our lives, they polish us, they prune us and yes, sand us down!  It’s like we often times tell children, “take that awful tasting medicine because it will make you “better”.  I believe we are to be open to the SPs in our life, God has sent them to us in our current path for a reason.  If we reject or push away from them then the sanding in our lives hasn’t taken place and we can’t become all that God has intended for us.  As with everything in life, we cannot skip an important step in order to get to the next level, sometimes these people allow us to clearly see the areas in our lives where we still need to grow, mature, and take care of.  

I challenge you today to embrace the SPs in your life (yes, I did say embrace!) because they are your gift from God.  Don’t push that gift away, open it!!!

And as always, when they come your way….Just Breathe!

Reflection Corner:

1.)   Today make a list and identify the SPs in your lives.

2.)   What can you learn from each SPs, what are the ways that they challenge you?

3.)   Thank one of your SPs this week for stretching you and making you see things differently in your life. (just don’t let them know that you consider them SPs)