I have found as I get older small things irritate me. One example; for years I have worked with my laptop on my lap and my wireless mouse on the arm of my lazy boy (a name for that chair I find more appropriate every day). Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the mouse has begun to slide off the arm of the chair and bounce away from me so I have to strain to get it back. Talk about irritating! I asked God to help me and He replied, “How many times does it have to happen before you adjust and put it somewhere else when your hands are on the keyboard?” Problem solved; moving on to the next irritation.
Do you find yourself irritated by something or someone? We have all felt that way at one time or another, but what can be done about it? Does God offer us a solution to those irritations? Maybe we can find the answer by taking a close look at nature; another word for that tiny portion of God’s creation around us (no mother involved).
Oysters are one of the simplest animals in God’s creation. They are immobile and filter nutrients from the water around them instead of feeding. Inside their hard shell they are very sensitive to irritation. Just one grain of sand causes them great discomfort. So God has provided them a way to convert the minerals they filter from the water into a nacre substance that also forms their hard shell. When irritation is felt, the irritant is coated with nacre until it is perfectly round and smooth and no longer a cause of irritation. The result is, of course, a beautiful pearl. Clams and mussels are also capable of producing pearls, but they don’t do it very often. I’m not sure if that is because they encounter fewer irritations or if they have a higher threshold for discomfort.
We are infinitely more complex than an oyster, so why hasn’t God provided us with a way to handle our irritations? He has! But the solution is only produced by God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We don’t always need a grain of sand from the outside to set us off. Have you ever known someone who seemed to get on their own nerves? Maybe that someone was you. That is when the source of the irritation is internal. It may be the result of guilt, unresolved conflict or some other experience from our past that has embedded itself in our mind and even our spirit causing constant discomfort. The same substance that creates our protective armor, the blood of Jesus, can remove the sharp edges that have been a constant source of irritation for us. All we have to do is ask God to do what needs to be done. It may also require ripping off the wound dressing we have been trying to cover it with in order for healing to take place. The result will be comfort and peace not experienced before.
When the source of irritation is external, God’s solution is for us to simply change our perspective to match His; so that grain of sand is coated with His love until it becomes a beautiful pearl of wisdom. We are not created to be immobile like the oyster, so sometimes God places a little source of discomfort within us to spur us to wake up and take action. It is kind of like the way cultured pearls are created. We can avoid that irritation by being aware of His will in our life and being obedient to His still small voice.