What do you do when someone rubs you the wrong way?  Do you snap back, roll your eyes, complain about them, ignore them, walk away?

Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we won’t struggle in our relationships.  We’re called to love everyone but there are some people we people we have to be more intentional about loving well.

We’re instructed to “love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).  That covers everybody outside of us- the people we live, play, worship, shop and work with.  So, how do you love someone who can be challenging to know?

We can love people by praying for them.  That could mean that we pray before we interact with them- asking God to help us be genuine, kind, and aware of our actions and reactions in their presence.  Instead of complaining about that co-worker who ‘did it again’, try praying for him or her to gain better insight about a situation.  When you find yourself rolling your eyes or going silent because your spouse ‘always forgets to…’, try praying that God will bless him with the memory he needs to get things done.

So, why all of this prayer?  Because the world needs more people who will pray about the things folks don’t want to pray about.  Prayer is the tool God has given us to stay connected to His plans for us and for the people we know.  And because it’s high time we stop smiling, growling, eye rolling, and silencing our way around other people.  A very interesting thing happens when we focus on what other people need.  We begin to see them the way God sees them and that negative ‘rub’ begins to change us as we demonstrate empathy and genuine care.

We need to learn what it means to love the unlovable by actually doing it. Positive thinking is great, but as author Rick Warren says, positive thinking doesn’t change anyone but us.  We can facilitate change in everybody in our world by committing to talking to God about them and our attitudes and feelings about them.  

If you really want to be the kind of Christian who makes a difference in someone else’s life, pray for them, especially if they are someone who rubs you the wrong way.  As you pray, God will change you and them in the right way.