Good morning, InspyRomance readers. Here we are at part five of our study of the LOVE chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
If you haven’t read parts one through four, you can find them here: Love is Patient, Love is Kind, Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs, & Love is Not Rude.
Today we are going to focus on one with which I have the most difficulty…
I made the above meme about as irritating as I could. It’s troublesome to the eyes, isn’t it? Or maybe it’s just my eyes.
Maybe other things make you irritable…
- socks left on the floor
- dishes not put away
- shoes left in the walkway
- laundry still sitting where you placed it last week
- trash not taken out
- the lid left off the toothpaste
The list could go on and on.
Sometimes for me, it’s none of those things. It’s something internal that’s just not quite right, though I can’t put my finger on a specific reason. Sometimes I wake up that way, and other times it appears throughout the day.
Mostly my irritation comes from my expectations not being met. TRUTH!
I expect my family to pick up their own socks, shoes, clean laundry. I expect them to put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I expect the trash to be taken out by the person who is responsible to do so. I have my own tube of toothpaste (nope, I do not share with my hubby–the joys of dual sinks in the bathroom), so that one’s not a problem. And when those expectations don’t get met, I become irritable.
The Greek word here is paroxunó. It means to provoke, irritate or arouse anger. Literally, it means to jab someone (figuratively) and stimulate their feelings (emotions).
Hmmm… so the New Living Translation says, “is not irritable” while others translate it as, “is not easily provoked.” Others say, “it is not easily angered.”
Am I easily angered or provoked?
At times, probably, but mostly I’m laid back. I’m a reforming passive-aggressive. I’ve known for a long time about my passive-aggressive tendencies, but a few years ago I read a book/article about the negative aspects of that character trait. It is as destructive as aggressiveness. It harms relationships.
Assertive is my goal. State my feelings/objections/views/opinions in a timely manner and move on, instead of holding everything in to keep the peace and then blowing up at some unexpected moment. And yes, I have done this. Sadly.
But wait, this is not a post about my sins and short-comings.
Or maybe it is.
As I’ve typed each one of these posts (and I expect it to continue), I have learned new things about myself. Some I don’t like. Some aren’t so bad. But all have been enlightening.
Back to Love is not irritable, angered, or provoked…
Well, maybe not. Sort of.
I know when I’m irritable (because my expectations are not being met), I lose sight of the love.
Or maybe I question it.
Does my family realize that their laziness means more work for me? (Oh, that sounds utterly selfish!) Don’t they love me enough to make my life easier? Or at least not harder?
Do I love them enough to pick up the stray sock, push aside the discarded shoes, take out the over-full trash without comment? (Ouch!)
Now this is not to say that a word of admonishment, especially toward learning children, is not necessary. It is. How else will they learn right from wrong unless we show them? But the occasional sock, shoe, full bag of trash is not something to grow irritable over.
You know what usually happens to me? A bunch of little things add up. This child’s sock, that dirty plate, a shoe here, a different shoe over there… The combination becomes irritating. And then I forget to show love. (Ouch, again!) *sigh*
So I issue a challenge to you (and to me) to show love when the shoe trips you, or the Lego attacks your foot (they come out of nowhere), or the trash is overfull. Even in admonishing our children to be mindful, we must show love. Even when the hubby (or wifey, if we have any male readers) leaves the cap off the toothpaste or “presses our metaphorical buttons” for the millionth time. Even when… (you fill in the blank). Show love.
Just imagine how many times God has to look past the stray socks and shoes in our souls to see who we are deep down, to love us.
May your day be blessed and your heart be full of love,
Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre. Even when she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, reading or writing are not far from her mind. She is president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.
Hi Ginger, yet another timely post and reminder, thank you! For me it definitely is those little things- I get home from a full day at work, dealing with students and their needs, only to come home and keep going, only to get frustrated by little things. My daily prayer is for patience and love.
Blessings:)
Thanks for stopping by, Wemble.
Thank you Ginger for a thought provoking post on an important portion of scripture! Nice to know one is not alone. Your examples made me chuckle. A good reminder! Best wishes and happy writing.
Glad to give you a chuckle, Renate, and a reminder.
This sounds so much like me. Thank you So much for sharing. It was very enlightening.
At least we’re not alone in our imperfections. :D
Thanks for this.
My pleasure.
Good reminder..
For me, too.
A nice blog post.
Thanks, Linda.
What a fun post! Agree on all of it! Yeah, we have our own toothpaste/sink, too….makes life more cheerful! lol Just me/hub now.
:D Toothpaste can be a big deal for such a small thing.
Ginger, thanks for the inspirational and challenging thoughts.
You’re welcome.
Great post (as per your usual). Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks, Priscila, and you’re welcome.
I enjoyed your post. You brought up some good points that we all can relate to!!
Thanks, Linda. I try. ;)
I’ve had my nose to the grindstone today, so I’m late in my response. This was a great post, Ginger. Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore the little things that used to irritate me. I know I have my faults and do my fair share of irritating. :)
Don’t we all have our little quirks? I certainly do.
This is a trait I struggle so much in! Letting little things get to me & build up my frustration level and I end up saying things I don’t mean to or holding onto grudges that really don’t matter in the whole scheme of things. I’ve really been contemplating and thinking on the fruits of the Spirit. Some come easily to me while others don’t. I’ve been asking God to work on my heart on the “fruits” that are harder for me. I wished I could say I’m seeing progress, but I see so much more I need to improve on! So I’ll just keep on trusting the Lord to help me when I need the extra boost, because it’s not easy :-)
Thanks for the post Ginger, I really needed to hear I wasn’t the only one who struggles so much in this area! You’d think we’d have it down pat by now…lol!
You’d think, but alas my flesh gets in the way. It’s nice when the fruits are evident. I don’t know about you, but I know “I” am harder on me than I think anyone else is, including God. I bestow forgiveness on others easier than I can forgive myself.
Our family reads a chapter in the Bible after dinner, and we just started in Luke. I wondered aloud why Zacharias was made mute for asking how Elizabeth would become pregnant after being barren when nothing happened to Mary when she asked how she would become pregnant since she’d hadn’t “known” a man. We concluded that it was a heart issue.
God knows our hearts, and that brings me comfort because even though I fail to live a loving life as often as I’d like, God knows how hard I’m trying. He knows my heart.
I get irritable easily and it’s something I need to work on/
Acknowledgement of the issue is the first step. Good work, Sabrina.
What a great thought provoking post that I am sure we can all relate to.
Yes, we all get irritable at times. Hangry being the “new” word for it when we’re hungry. Not that it’s a good excuse. ;)
A great post, Ginger! And thank you very much for the reminder. I have to admit, I do get irritated sometimes.
Amen Ginger. I know this is a constant struggle for me. Especially raising three young kids. I guess that’s why we must stay tuned into the Lord.
Have a great week!