Irritants. I can say with deepest conviction that I do not like irritants, and I also can say with deepest conviction that I am thankful for irritants.

I do not appreciate being annoyed. I wish I could be more superior in my spiritual walk and say I always and immediately give thanks in all things and for all things, but alas I do not.

That which vexes me spiritually, physically and emotionally gets my immediate attention and arouses in me an effort to rid myself of its effect in my life. I have been known to go to extraordinary lengths and devise ingenious methods to rid myself of an irritant. Most of these efforts meet with some success, but all eventually fail to achieve the desired result, and the irritant continues its assault on my comfort and perceived well being.

I have observed many attempts to avoid these "things" we consider irritants. I see people wearing little strips of cloth dangling from their eyeglasses in the hope that the ever present gnat will leave them alone. I have seen people use many different methods to avoid talking to one who irritates. When in one or more of my progeny for someone else to find and after 41 years of ministry, I have considered many options to rid my life of certain irritants.

When I do return to a more rational state of mind, I remember the definition of irritation that I found in the little dictionary I keep on my desk. Here is the third definition it has for irritate, "…3. Biol. To stimulate (a cell, tissue, or organ) to a characteristic function."

What a powerful insight! If you are truly honest with yourself, you will have to admit that the most productive time of your life and perhaps the most effective, is when you have an irritant provoking you to action.

Although we argue that we do better with a more positive irritant such as love or a compliment, the opposite is probably more accurate. Knowing this quirk, our Creator provides us with that which will stimulate us to function and act as we should. That means that the very thing which we are trying to avoid and rid ourselves of is the very thing which could help us to grow and become what Father needs us to be.

There is so much I would like to add to this little article, but time and space constrain me, so let me leave you with the scripture verse that we have all heard and quoted, Ephesians 5:20 - "Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Be blessed and enjoy Jesus. Oh, yeah, enjoy the irritants in your life, too.