Stop Irritating Me!

The other day as I was washing my daughter's hair I heard her say, "Stop irritating me!" Now, for her to say that is not completely unusual in that she is very stubborn (I can't imagine where she got that from...), and can be very independent. She and I have butted heads on more than one occasion. But today, as I was reading through Proverbs, I came across the following verse... "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17, NIV) So, the first thing I did was laugh. At least I can see the humor, right? But then I began to think about the people that come into our lives that we just can't stand. You all know who I'm talking about. It's the neighbor who shows up at your door unannounced when you're just getting ready to take a shower. It's the person at work who wants to tell you a new joke every day and thinks they're soooo funny. It can even be that well meaning person at church who has to talk to you every single Sunday about the same thing every time. So we ask God, "Why did you put this person here? Why do I have to deal with them?" Well, this verse gives us our answer. God can use anything to help us grow; and though we don't like the idea of that certain someone putting on their tap shoes and dancing all over our last nerve, we will learn more by dealing with them properly than by sprinting in the other direction. The next time you see that person coming, don't be so quick to put on your track shoes. Remember, God always has a plan.