Dear Lord; Good evening Father!
You know Father, throughout the years I’ve been in business I’ve had an amazingly diverse group of clients. In most cases, we have an excellent rapport with our customers; they know we’ll do what’s necessary to satisfy their IT needs, and that even when things don’t go exactly as planned we’re in their corner and will make sure things are taken care of. We work diligently on their behalf, and the great majority of them appreciate what we do for them.
And then there are those clients…
I’ve decided Lord, that there are some folks that no matter what you do, you simply can’t please. Being that I pride myself on solving problems for people and maintaining an upbeat, moral and ethical relationship with them, that tiny contingent of customers causes me the bulk of my upset. Driving back from a job site this afternoon, I was playing back an interaction with one of those clients in my head, getting more and more frustrated that our efforts kept getting twisted and maligned and that no matter what we did for them, it was never enough, or appreciated.
“Pray for them.” I heard drift across my thoughts…
Ouch… You certainly know how to make me stop and think Father. In focusing on my frustrations, I allowed myself to forget Your teachings:
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” – Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)
I’ve come to the conclusion Lord, that one of Your intentions for prayer is to allow You to “stretch” our spirits in directions our earthly selves would likely not have taken. I think it’s quite probable that those people I was allowing to poison my spirit desperately need Your Presence, and therefore deserve my prayers.
Thank You for the reminder and the lesson Father. I’ll be working on this more diligently going forward.
Amen.
~Phather Phil
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
So true…you hit the nail on the head! But it is so hard to pray for ‘those’ people sometimes!
It is Allison, but I’m working on it! 😉
Have a Blessed Day!
We all need to practice this scripture more. It’s so easy to let our flesh get the best of us. But I want to be a child of the Light and shine for Jesus. Great reminder!
As do I Lisa! It can be a struggle sometimes, but His Word always leads us down the proper path if we let it!
Have a Blessed Day!
I just prayed for a few people that God brought to mind as I was reading… thank you for this reminder.
The more I thought along those lines Alida, the more people I had to pray for as well. 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!
I love this… “Your intentions for prayer is to allow You to “stretch” our spirits in directions our earthly selves would likely not have taken.” So true. I had the same feeling when someone vandalized my car. I was focused on how I felt and God’s nudge reminded me too the urgency to pray for my offender. And my 6 yr old reminded me of that too@:)
I read that post Kelli… Loved the words from your little one! Isn’t it amazing how God speaks through their innocence?
Have a Blessed Day!
The ones we can’t please is when God is telling us it’s not up to us to please them, we have to leave them in God’s hand and He deals with them. Although you feel their pain at times you have to pray for them because they are hurting even when we can’t understand it.
My thoughts exactly Desiray. If they’re hurting enough inside that they choose to interact with everyone else that way, they need our prayers and God’s Presence to bring them the peace they need.
Have a Blessed Day!
As a partner in a business, this statement: I’ve decided Lord, that there are some folks that no matter what you do, you simply can’t please.
It’s true.
All I can do is pray for patience.
Good thoughts! It’s nice to meet you.
Welcome Duane, and thank you for the comment! It’s so easy to lose patience with those we feel are being unreasonable, and yet that’s the time when we need to listen for God’s Voice the most.
Have a Blessed Day!
So true. We all will come across “those” people whether they are clients, neighbors even relatives. But we need to lift them in prayer and be kind. THank you so much for this reminder!!
Amen Jenifer!
Have a Blessed Day!
Another wise and necessary instruction comes to mind Phil. “Feed my sheep.” Maybe it’s one of our deepest, purest urges? Always so happy to visit your site. Blessings.
Another excellent directive to remember in those times Christopher. Thank you so much for visiting!
Have a Blessed Day!
Stretching our spirits… what better way than to use those people we find frustrating! Unfortunately, I spend a lot of time being fretful over such situations rather than immediately submitting my confusion to God. Prayer is always the first and best option when it comes to relationships.
peace~elaine
I’ve been guilty of the same more than one Elaine… But I’m working on it! 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!