{Sand Paper People}

I wish I could see your facial expression as you read the words {Sand Paper People}. I got a feeling you may have a few of those in your life from time to time. Sand Paper people are those that tend to {RUB} us the wrong way. Sometimes we just can't put our finger on exactly what the issue is and other times we know all too well why they tend to cause the hair on the back of our neck to stand up! 

Years ago I had the opportunity to be a part of a ladies retreat where Mary Southerland spoke. If you aren't familiar with her I recommend that you purchase her book called....YOU GUESSED IT..."Sandpaper people".  It is an eye opener and gets right down to the nitty-gritty of the subject at hand. It is filled with so much truth and lavished with the Word of God. She tells this story and it goes like this: 

  The artist came to the park every day when the light was just right, positioning his

easel and paints under the same familiar shade tree. For hours, he watched people

strolling by, searching for just the right face to paint. A beggar sitting across the path

caught his eye. Thinking of God’s handiwork in every human being, the artist resolved

to paint the man as he imagined he could be. With the last stroke, the artist breathed a

sigh of satisfaction. It was done. And it was some of his best work. The artist then

called the beggar over to see the painting. “Is that me?’ the beggar asked. “That is the

“you” I see!” replied the artist. The beggar stared at the painting, and with tears in his

eyes, softly spoke, “If that’s the man you see in me, then that’s the man I shall be!” 

Sandpaper people desperately need someone who will look beyond their abrasive

behavior to recognize their worth. Sandpaper people have allowed someone or

something to assign an identity to them that is false. As a result, they live a life they

were never intended to live, bound to an un-healthy-self-image, having no concept of who they really are or what they can become. Desperate to fit in, they try on different identities like trying on new clothes, wondering why none of them fit. Sandpaper people fail to understand that their identity was established before the world began, in the

heart and mind of God. That’s where we come in. When we make the deliberate choice to love a sandpaper person, we are inviting God

to work in us and through us to bring about change; to create His image in us so we can

then see His image in others. Difficult

relationships find it hard to survive in an

atmosphere of love because stubborn wills yield to love as the worth of a soul is

recognized and valued. 

Choose love

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Choose patience

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Choose forgiveness

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Choose encouragement 

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Choose Thankfulness 

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The key WORD here is {CHOOSE}. We choose how we will react and how we will deal with the sandpaper people of life. And I can assure you that there will be those sandpaper people that come along. Who knows...we might be that sandpaper person to someone!!! May we be willing to love beyond the beyond.

Hugs and blessings, Cindy