I don't remember when I first heard the term, but it resonated with me immediately.
The principle is that sometimes God puts us in contact (or allows us to be in contact) with people who just "rub us the wrong way".
Whoever it was that first mentioned "Spiritual Sandpaper" to me was obviously talking about the fact that these folks can actually help us by knocking off some of our rough spots, and smoothing us out a bit.
We can fight, hate, retaliate, get bitter.... or (and this is one of my own biggest challenges) allow God to do the work of "refining" us, even if he uses people we don't like to do it.
Somebody from a former Church reminded me of the prayer I used to pray about 15 years ago when we had some particularly scratchy "sandpaper people":
"Lord, either change them or move them, or change me or move me".
(In the case of the former Church friend, God DRASTICALLY changed some people - three of the four died within 6 months, as God is my witness. The fourth had a quadruple-bypass, and became pretty impotent as far as making trouble in the Church)
I'm back to praying that prayer again.
The principle is that sometimes God puts us in contact (or allows us to be in contact) with people who just "rub us the wrong way".
Whoever it was that first mentioned "Spiritual Sandpaper" to me was obviously talking about the fact that these folks can actually help us by knocking off some of our rough spots, and smoothing us out a bit.
We can fight, hate, retaliate, get bitter.... or (and this is one of my own biggest challenges) allow God to do the work of "refining" us, even if he uses people we don't like to do it.
Somebody from a former Church reminded me of the prayer I used to pray about 15 years ago when we had some particularly scratchy "sandpaper people":
"Lord, either change them or move them, or change me or move me".
(In the case of the former Church friend, God DRASTICALLY changed some people - three of the four died within 6 months, as God is my witness. The fourth had a quadruple-bypass, and became pretty impotent as far as making trouble in the Church)
I'm back to praying that prayer again.
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