Your phone just rang……….Oh no, it’s her/him again.  Now what?  Always a crisis in their life.  Or perhaps to complain.

You are tempted not to answer.  But your conscience won’t let you.  It is what you need to do but you dread the same old tried complaining.

Honestly, life with other people can be messy.  People annoy us sometimes.  Many times.  We are tempted to snap back.  We might feel justified.  However, God calls us to be gracious, even when we are annoyed. Do we feel justified in our annoyance? Just think of what God puts up with us and our mistakes.  Does He get annoyed? We can’t speak for God. But we know this.  God is love and, in His love, He forgives us.

We love our kids, our family, our spouses, our friends, but they still annoy us.
Why can’t they see things our way?  Why can’t they better themselves?  Why don’t they reciprocate when I do good things for them. They never even say thank you.

Peter encourages us with these words: (1Peter 4:8) “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” The words “covers” in this verse is an excellent way to describe how God’s grace works in these situations.  When people make annoying mistakes, they’re only human. Humanity has been making mistakes since the Adam and Eve.

  We often can justify what we do ourselves, but we can’t justify what others do. Either to us or just being themselves! .   Here are some helpful hints for those who annoy us.

1.Take a moment to offer a quick prayer for them.  Who knows what lies behind their behavior.  Are they stressed? Are they in pain? Are they simply tired? What lies behind their actions?

2. Choose what they might need from you.  The complaining friend on the phone, just might need a listening ear.  The guy who took your place in line might need to get home quickly; The man on the freeway who cut in front of you got urgent call.  There are many reasons why their actions display a real underlying problem.  Or they might be just rude!

3. They have never felt loved or wanted or needed.  They have no grace in their lives. 
It can be challenging for you to choose grace when you feel annoyed. But the more you do, the easier it becomes, because you know that God will help you and extend a more forgiving spirit through you. So be gracious.

                                                              Annoyed?         No More!