March 14: Pray for inner peace with someone who irritates you.

My daughter's been struggling with a mentor who irritates her to the point of anger, red-faced, fist-shaking anger - at him, at the club, at life in general. I suggest that she try to see things from his perspective. It might help her to pray for inner peace with it. Either way, it's hard. :-/ 

People's quirks and need for attention get under our skin and they cause a minor irritation. If we continue spending time with them, it just keeps irritating like a rock in our shoe until it become painful and causes us to walk funny until we stop and take it out.

How can we take out the rock of irritation cause by someone who gets under our skin? Pray. Try to understand their need, their perspective. God created this person and for some reason, s/he has an unfulfilled need that pushes our buttons.

What's the need in us that allows our buttons to get pushed in the first place?  We're pretty much need-based creatures - physical, mental, emotional... But that might be another prayer.  Is it about them being somehow like us in a way that we don't like?  Truth be told, it's probably some kind of unperceived competition between us, and I don't want to lose.  :-p  Ah, there.  I said it.  It's always about us, isn't it?  We're the only ones we can really change anyway.

Gracious, understanding, always creating God, change my heart. Give me peace with that child of yours who rubs me every which way but good. Help me understand their need to always win, always be right, always be in the spotlight, always show me to be inferior. Help me humble myself before you so that I can help them win some, be right, in the spotlight, without belittling me. Give me courage to let them shine and humility to step back without being right/the winner/in the spotlight....because that's really what's at issue isn't it? Me, myself and my need to be the winner.  Help me to give thanks for this creation of yours who really is loved and gifted by you.  Help me to see deep enough inside them to find those gifts and blessings.  Create in me a new and clean heart, O God. May I be (more) like you. Amen.