This is Felicia Ferguson with Christian Mix 106, helping you build faith for the journey.
We all have that one friend or family member who is just well, difficult. It may be a parent, a sibling, or even someone in our extended or chosen family. They may be in our lives constantly or occasionally. We may know what has happened in their life to cause them to be difficult or we may not have a clue. But no matter the proximity or the reasons, we still have to deal with them and their impact on our inner peace.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he tells us “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Or in modern slang, don’t stir that pot. Leave well enough alone. Sometimes being right isn’t best for our peace and relationships.
But what if we’re following Paul’s advice and doing our best to live in peace with that difficult person, and yet they keep stirring that pot? How can we live in peace when that person is still bringing misery or at least irritation to our lives?
Some relationships may be so toxic that they need to be cut off, or contact minimized. But if ending the relationship or putting distance in it isn’t an option, there’s another action we can take. But I’ll warn you, it takes work and serious humility on our parts. What is this option? Asking God to show us how he sees that difficult person. And then we can focus on reacting from a place of love, kindness, and long-suffering. Ouch. Yeah, I told you it’d be hard. Because the difficult person isn’t changing. We are. And why should we change when the other person is the problem?
That’s where the humility comes in. And also a healthy dose of trusting God and his plan. That difficult person is in your life for a reason. Maybe you’re to help them heal or maybe they’re in your life to help you grow.
Asking God for his perspective on that difficult relationship can bring you the peace you need—even if the difficulties remain.
This is Felicia Ferguson. Thanks for listening to Christian Mix 106.
