Working with Difficult People

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 2 Timothy 2:20

God used a raven, a bird considered ‘unclean’ in Jewish culture, to feed the prophet Elijah during a famine. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with funds provided by a heathen king. The point is: don’t limit God. Sometimes the people we’d normally shun are the very ones He uses to provide what we need, and by shutting them out we forfeit a blessing He has in mind for us. Be careful; your tendency to be ‘picky’ can end up hurting you! The truth is, you can’t avoid working with difficult people. God planned it that way. Why? Because He wants you to grow in the midst of negativity without getting sucked into it. David developed the ability to work with people who were hard to get along with. It doesn’t get much harder than working for a boss with an evil spirit! At first David enjoyed King Saul’s favor, but after he killed Goliath, Saul sought to kill him. Yet David never changed his strategy. He stayed in Saul’s house because he knew his destiny was there. And because of the wisdom he exhibited, he ended up owning the place! God’s principles are timeless. David didn’t limit himself and he didn’t limit God. He understood that people fall into two categories: ‘Vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor.’ And God uses both. Getting his eyes off people, and being neither impressed nor depressed by them, afforded David great opportunities because he freed others up to be used by God. So learn to get along with difficult people; your greatest challenge today may be the person who assists and blesses you tomorrow.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, teach me and show me what You want me to learn from the difficult people in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen