He Did What?!?

Pet peeves often involve specific behaviors of someone close, such as a spouse or significant other. These behaviors may involve disrespect, manners, personal hygiene, relationships, and family issues. A key aspect of a pet peeve is that it may well seem acceptable to others. For example, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people leaving the lid on the copier up and react angrily, be annoyed when others interrupt when speaking, or by messy desks of his or her subordinates. That same supervisor may witness employees coming into work late, and not feel any annoyance whatsoever. (Wikipedia)

This morning my dear husband woke up early, got out of bed, and turned off the fan. He meant it to be an act of kindness (often I’m clothed in prickly goosebumps from being cold). Poor guy, he didn’t know that my mom used to wake me up by turning off the fan. As the blades of the fan slowed to a stop a rage began to bubble within me. “Turn the fan on!!” I yell. It took awhile for the blood to drain from my eyes. A delightful breakfast cooked by my groom helped cool the air.

One’s pet peeve is another’s love language.

Jon meant to communicate love but instead pulled a nerve. For us, this is an everyday occurrence. Sometimes we laugh it off. I say, “I may be laughing on the outside but not on the inside!”  We are very much different yet still divinely similar like no one else.

I’m still wading through this experience, asking God to shine his light. There is a lesson had.

I wonder if it’s not so much the pet peeve that dishonors God as it is the knee jerk reaction we have in result of a pet peeve. The joy we allow a pet peeve to steal. The control we gain by “pressing one’s buttons.”

It is especially hard when you do not know what one’s pet peeves are. Is that why birds of a feather like to flock together? It’s a challenge to meet new and/or different people. After I meet someone new and/or different my head is running a mile a minute. I hate being misunderstood. I worry that my attempts to show love may have inadvertently punctured a nerve.

Living life with similar people ensures that lines that should not be crossed will not be crossed. Everyone plays by the same rules and abides by the same boundaries.

Our pet peeves and other’s pet peeves make living in this world difficult, especially because God wants us to rub elbows with strangers – especially strangers that do not share our upbringing, heritage, and context. He wants us to go to all.  “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 6:19)

So what do we do? It’s a true conundrum. Good luck riding yourself of any and all pet peeves! Would it be fair to say it comes with the sin-nature territory?

One thing to hold on to – We should each be living for Jesus, not swayed by the rules of humanity. Sometimes this means taking precautions and being considerate in order to make Christ known. Other times this means having grace so that when lines are crossed our knee-jerk reaction is love – taking the opportunity to live out the Gospel.

…I’m still tossing these ideas around, but thought I would share something with you, even if it is in mid-thought.