Why not be wronged...

What do you do when someone is doing something on purpose to annoy you?  

This is after you have spoken to them, to the person(s) in charge, you have taken steps on your part to minimize their access to your property etc; and still...they seemingly go out of their way to annoy/irritate you by doing the one thing that you have asked them not to do, even if it means extra effort on their part to do this???

I have talked to several people, prayed extensively about it, spent money and time putting actual physical boundaries in place...all to no avail.  This comes in the midst of bigger struggles in our lives, that are so much more important.  This is petty, meaningless, stupid.  I know this and still it gets my goat.  I am SO frustrated  - why in the world would someone(s) go to this much effort to annoy someone else?  

So yesterday I googled a verse that God had brought to my attention last year when I was frustrated over a similar situation in which I knew I was being wronged, but there was nothing I could do about it.  No matter how long and how hard I prayed...nothing changed.  One day, last summer, I was reading my Bible and 1 Corinthians 6:7 jumped out at me - and those two questions "Why not rather be wronged?  Why not rather be cheated?" hit my heart like a ton of bricks.  It resonated so deeply with me, and since then has popped to mind over and over and over in my heart anytime I start to utter "This is SO not fair".  So last night, I knew I would likely face this situation again and I prayed that God would give me the grace to rest in Him.  

The more I think about this situation and wrestle with the truth of God's Word vs. how I feel...I realize I have to choose obedience even when everything in me is screaming to hit back, to harbor those feelings of resentment and unfairness, to not rest in God's timing, to not trust He knows what He is asking us to do when He tells us to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39, Luke 6:29), to seek everyone's good in a situation (1 Thess. 5:15), to not repay evil with evil (1 Pet. 3:9).

1 Peter 2:21.  I want to follow in His footsteps, more than I want a situation to turn out in my favor, to be what I deem fair.  

Prayerfully, these situations will keep coming and will mold my heart to look like His.  Prayerfully, the icky feelings represent opportunities for my flesh to be crucified (Gal. 5:24) and His Spirit to guide me, counsel me, lead me.  (Gal. 2:20, 5:16, 6:14)