As promised yesterday, let?s look at what some of the Saints say about daily annoyances and irritations.
St. Therese of Lisieux proposed these 4 steps for dealing with life?s irritations:
1. Do not be foolish and squander the opportunity to draw closer to God through your daily irritations.
2. Try hard to enjoy the annoyance
3. Acquire a taste for the annoyance.
4. Pray constantly for the sense of humor needed to endure steps 2 and 3.
While following her advice is not easy, it does provide some food for thought. Is there any possible way that we can ?enjoy? being stuck behind a slow driver or listening to a coworker?s constant complaints? If not, how about at least trying to find something slightly amusing about the situation?
St. John Vianney had this to say, ?I have had crosses in plenty, more than I could carry almost. I set myself to ask for the love of crosses ? then I was happy.?
Finally, St. Teresa of Avila states, ?We gain more in a single day of trials that come to us from God and our neighbor than we would in 10 years of penance and other exercises that we take up ourselves.?
Since these Saints are declared by the Church to be in Heaven, they must have done something right while on earth. Even though we may find it difficult to follow their advice, it gives us a goal to aspire toward. After all, as Christians our ultimate goal is to end up where they are. Unfortunately, some of us may find their suggestions annoying or irritating…
You can always try reading this post again for some suggestions…
