What do you do when you're irritated? Do you pray?
If you're like me, your first reaction is to stew over the problem. And then, you may strike out at the person who annoyed you. The result is usually bad.
But Jan Johnson, author of Enjoying the Presence of God, urges us to pray. That's what she has learned to do.
In her book, she tells of driving with a car-pool companion who constantly complained. She says: "I thought I would explode."
She was rocking her daughter's child-sized rocking chair one day when her co-worker popped into her mind. She offered a breath prayer for this worker.
After that, she put the rocking chair in her kitchen and, every time she passed by, she rocked the chair and offered a quick prayer for this person. Her resentment evaporated.
She advises us to turn an irritating moment or situation into prayer. For example, a neighbour's messy yard can lead to a prayer like, "Turn this person's heart toward you" or "what is it you want to show me through this person?"
Johnson acknowledges that we need to be open to God with our frustrations, just as the psalmist David was. She suggests that "the way to move from anger to peacemaking is to go through the anger, not to deny it". We confess to God our feelings and seek his forgiveness.
Then, we release the problem into God's hands and pray for the person we were complaining about a moment before.
Of course, the apostle Paul asks us to go even further - to bless the person who hurt us (Romans 12:14). The very act of blessing can change our hearts and our attitudes. Admittedly, it is hard to do.
But even a small step - like Jan Johnson praying when she noticed the rocking chair - can be a good start.
If you're like me, your first reaction is to stew over the problem. And then, you may strike out at the person who annoyed you. The result is usually bad.
But Jan Johnson, author of Enjoying the Presence of God, urges us to pray. That's what she has learned to do.
In her book, she tells of driving with a car-pool companion who constantly complained. She says: "I thought I would explode."
She was rocking her daughter's child-sized rocking chair one day when her co-worker popped into her mind. She offered a breath prayer for this worker.
After that, she put the rocking chair in her kitchen and, every time she passed by, she rocked the chair and offered a quick prayer for this person. Her resentment evaporated.
She advises us to turn an irritating moment or situation into prayer. For example, a neighbour's messy yard can lead to a prayer like, "Turn this person's heart toward you" or "what is it you want to show me through this person?"
Johnson acknowledges that we need to be open to God with our frustrations, just as the psalmist David was. She suggests that "the way to move from anger to peacemaking is to go through the anger, not to deny it". We confess to God our feelings and seek his forgiveness.
Then, we release the problem into God's hands and pray for the person we were complaining about a moment before.
Of course, the apostle Paul asks us to go even further - to bless the person who hurt us (Romans 12:14). The very act of blessing can change our hearts and our attitudes. Admittedly, it is hard to do.
But even a small step - like Jan Johnson praying when she noticed the rocking chair - can be a good start.
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