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SUZY
SANDPAPER
"As iron sharpens iron, so
one man sharpens another."
Proverbs 27:17
Have you ever noticed how God
works in our lives to bring us to maturity? I
recall attending a Women's Aglow Retreat soon after
I made a commitment to follow Jesus. Pamela
Truscott was the guest speaker. One thing she said
has stuck with me all these years. Pamela said
something like, "God will send Suzy Sandpaper or
Elmer Grindstone across your path to refine you."
Well, I didn't appreciate
hearing her say that. But, later, after thinking it
over, I could see the truth in Pamela's statement.
Many times, in the ensuing years, her words have
come to mind. My first impulse always was to run as
far away from such people as I possible could.
I remember one Suzy Sandpaper
who always had something spiteful to say to me. If
I saw her in church, I would avoid her by making a
bee-line for the other side of the church. I
couldn't understand her behavior and I just didn't
want to be around her.
Then, there was the Elmer
Grindstone at Bible study who continually
interrupted his wife who was the teacher. I would
get so irritated I couldn't see straight! I finally
went to the pastor and told him of my frustration.
His counsel was to confront this man and pray for
him. I didn't have a mind to do either. I wanted
to wring Elmer's neck.
"Oh God, why have you brought
this guy across my path?" I complained.
"Can't you see how obnoxious he is? Please help me
deal with this problem."
I finally realized that God was
teaching me to confront the person calmly instead of
getting angry or running away. I prayed long and
fervently before confronting Elmer. He received my
words calmly, admitting that he did have a problem
and vowed to refrain from interrupting his wife
while she was teaching.
God knew that I needed to learn
how to interact with people without fear. My old
pattern or running away from people who hurt my
feelings or irritated me are not acceptable
according to the Bible.
Romans 14-16 reminds us to:
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not
curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with
those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud..."
I do want to become a mature
Christian so I suppose there will be many lessons on
my journey to God. With the Lord's help, I shall
try to live out Romans 12:12:
"Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer."
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