HOW TO REMOVE IRRITANTS

We recently did an impromptu trip and surprisingly for me, it turned out incredible.

Why is that surprising? Well, by now I'm sure you realize that I am a "preparer." I like to plan things in advance and have them ready way beforehand.

This trip, however, I only had a couple of hours to pack for myself, two kids and a puppy (yes I said puppy - I will definitely be telling you about this in a future blog).

I also needed to shut the house down and temporarily halt my business. So my mind was racing with a million thoughts all at once trying to get organized.

The trip was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better time. Unfortunately, while we were there I got a splinter in my foot.

I carry tweezers in my make-up bag, sadly, they were not effective in pulling the entire splinter out.

The surface of my skin looked fine. You would think all was well. But with each step I took, I could feel a remnant of the wood stuck in my foot.

By the time we returned home, there was a deep infection.

When I fully removed the splinter, you could not imagine how small the piece was. It was almost microscopic.

So my thoughts are how can something so small cause so much infection and pain.

Several months back I changed some decor in my house and painted a couple of things black. All of these projects turned out amazing.

As with everything, over time, and the wear and tear of having young children have taken its toll on my once perfect designs.

Every time I walk by and see the small paint chip, I get irritated. I can be in the best mood and like a light switch, I turn.

This has been going on for weeks. Finally, I thought to myself, you can easily touch up these places and you will stop these mood swings.

Why do we let things that we can control, or easily change, bother us so much?? Knowing that if left ignored a deeper infection will inevitably happen.

It's the little foxes that spoil the vines the book of Proverbs declares.

At work, home, the gym, grocery store etc., if someone or something annoys you, do something about it.

Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic philosopher and he coined the phrase "if the cucumber is bitter, don't eat it."

If it's the same person that every single day gets on your last nerve, try and rearrange your schedule or your space so that your encounters are limited.

Or try and rearrange your thoughts so that you no longer give them power over you.

Remember the tiniest particle left in the surface can fester. This is why psychotherapists always want to get to the root of the problem in order to deal with certain symptoms.

I have mixed feelings about that but try to understand my point.

What if there is absolutely no way possible to change a situation that you are in and reading this only causes a deeper level of frustration, sadness, or depression?

I have good news for you. In fact, it's great news!

Do you know how a pearl is formed?

Pearls, especially rare ones, are sought after all over the world. Their value can exceed millions of dollars.

In order for a pearl to be formed, the mollusk has to endure great pain. When an irritant slips between the hard shell and lodges into the soft tissue, it begins to harden and thus the pearl is developed.

This is God's splendor in showing us that when we endure pain that we cannot change, something valuable and beautiful can develop.

We are God's highest form of creation and we have control over a lot more than we realize. But in those instances when we cannot change things, we have this as an example.

YOU ARE DESIGNED TO REIGN IN LIFE

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