Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Against the Grain: Loving my Sandpaper People

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I have people. In my life. They irritate me. It’s hard to be around them. They are a thorn in my side. They are my sandpaper people.

Sandpaper People: Those people who are abrasive, irritating or generally rough to be around.

They are mine because the Lord has placed them in my life. Forever? Until tomorrow? I don’t know.

The other day my sandpaper people were out in full force, assaulting me. They scraped the dry, cracked, skin right off my arms. They pushed every button I have, and then pushed them again! They were irritating and hard to be around.

I prayed “Lord, help me to deal with this person!”

He replied, “Look at this person. They just want to BE someone. They want to be acknowledged. They want to feel like they matter.”

I saw their huge ego; Christ saw the huge hurt in their heart.

I prayed “Lord, I can hardly tolerate this person. They are so loud and obnoxious – help me!”

He replied, “Listen to them. They just want to be loved and needed. They just want someone to respond to their voice with kindness. Can’t you do that?”

I heard their loud, offensive voice. He heard their cry for help.

During my devotional time, I have been working through “Experiencing God” by Henry and Richard Blackaby. The lesson that very irritating day was this:

Watch to see where God is working, and join Him.

I cried out “Lord, where are You at work HERE?

He replied, “This is where I’m working, Ellen – I’m working in you. I want you to see their pain. I want you to love the unlovable. I’m working in you…won’t you join me?”

“in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves].” Philippians 2:3b (AMP)

And so I did. I prayed in repentance asking forgiveness for my self-centered tunnel vision. I prayed for patience. I prayed for eyes to see them the way Christ saw them: hurting people who need to be shown love and compassion.

God was at work. He was using the sandpaper people to polish my rough edges. He was smoothing out the grit and hard places on me, polishing me into the shining image of His Son Jesus.

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:13-14 (NLT)

Will I allow the sandpaper people to scrape me up? Or will I allow God to smooth me out?

Will I join God where He’s working – even when He’s working on me? Was I willing?

Are you willing?

Will you join God where He’s working – even when He’s working on you?

 

Grace be with you,

 

 

(From the archives. This article first published in October 2014)

 

Digging Deeper with Verse Mapping

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Today’s guest on the blog is Stacy Hudson, creator of the Verse Mapping Box. Several years ago, I learned about verse mapping. It appealed to my (very limited) creative side, because I love to use colorful pens while studying God’s Word. When I map out verses, I can use my pretty pens to my heart’s content, while also digging deeper into the Word. 

Now, on to verse mapping!

 

Have you ever found yourself reading a chapter of the Bible, loving it, but the next day you don’t remember much of what you read? 

This was something I struggled with for a long time. Until I was introduced to Verse Mapping, I didn’t know that you could combine reading the Word with doodling and creativity. And that it would actually help me retain more! 

Getting creative and using both the left and right side of the brain while Verse Mapping helps to create strong neuropathways. These pathways improve your brain’s ability to retain what you read and also recall it in the future. This means that 15 minutes of Verse Mapping would be more beneficial than 15 minutes of just reading the Bible. The Word never comes back void. But, if our goal is to be able to remember it later so that we can share it with others, and apply it to our own lives, then Verse Mapping is the way to go. 

The options to get creative while Verse Mapping are pretty much endless. Once you have chosen a verse to map out just decide on an option and get started.

  • Underline standout words
  • Write the verse in another Bible translation
  • Doodle something related to the verse (heart, star, flowers, etc)
  • Look up the words in Greek/Hebrew
  • Draw arrows/lines connecting the words and their definitions
  • Circle words that you relate to
  • Look up related verses
  • Draw a picture about something in the verse

One of the best things about Verse Mapping is that there is no time limit. You can study the word for as long as you want and go as deep as you want. You can do it for ten minutes today and continue for an hour tomorrow. 

There is also no ending point. There is no rushing to finish a worksheet. This allows you to take your time and sit with God, letting His spirit wash over you and guide you. You can start with a scripture and dig deep into all it’s context and meaning. This may lead you to another scripture and the process starts all over again. You don’t have to move on to a new scripture until you feel led. 

There is so much beauty and wisdom to be discovered in the Bible. It is impossible to discover it all. But with Verse Mapping it is possible to retain what we do discover so that we can apply it to our lives and share with others. In today’s world we all need as much of God’s truth in our mind as we can get.

“I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” Isaiah 45:3 NIV

Be careful to not get caught up in all the lies that you aren’t a creative person or that you can’t draw. It doesn’t matter. Honestly, God just wants you to spend time with Him. He longs to show you His truths in Scripture. 

Verse Mapping isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being present and being made perfect in His presence. 

 

Stacy Hudson is a wife and busy Mom of two sweet girls. She is the creator of the Verse Mapping Box, and is passionate about helping busy women dig deeper into God’s Word. So much so, that she launched her subscription box service in the midst of the pandemic shutdown. 

Through Verse Mapping, she encourages you to slow down and focus on a verse or two that stand out to you. The creative aspect of Verse Mapping encourages you to use the left and right sides of your brain. More than anything, Stacy wants others to grow closer to Jesus through this method of Bible Study.

You can find out more on Stacy’s website.