Irritations are opportunities. That was my big take-a-way from what Lindsey Papantoniou shared this past Saturday during our FB Live. I have an endless list of things that irritate me daily! It can start as simple as someone leaving 2 drops of lemonade in the jug in my fridge to technology not doing what it was designed to do. If I’m honest – people, things, and circumstances are constantly annoying me. But I never thought about each of these irritations as opportunities to reflect Jesus. That means when the checkout line is taking forever, you have opportunity. When you have to school your kid(s) from home while working and juggling all that life is throwing your way, you have opportunity. When whatever was supposed to happen doesn’t, you have opportunity. When someone interrupts your already tight schedule, you have opportunity. Or like Lindsey shared: when the InstaCart Driver walks up to your house in the pouring rain while your two children, under the age of four, are trying to escape to play in the rain, and then asks you to unload the groceries right now, so he can have his reusable bag back, you have opportunity!
Have you heard this analogy about an orange: “If you squeeze an orange, what do you expect will come out?” Orange juice. “If a Christian is squeezed, what do you think should come out?” Christ. So, the million dollar question is – when you’re irritated, AKA – being squeezed, does Christ come out? When others say and do things that are far below your expectations, does Christ come out? When people are “violators“ of God’s command to love, completely missing the point, do you reflect Jesus or do you join in and become one of the violators, too? Jesus tells us in Luke 6:32-36 that it’s no credit to us if we’re only kind to those who are kind to us. Through irritations, God reveals where we still need work in areas like kindness and patience and growing in those areas of your character is part of your discipleship, which is about conformity to Christ. So, when you are irritated or annoyed today, tomorrow or the next day, seize the opportunity to reflect Christ because Jesus really does need to be the one who comes out of you.