Attn: Ministry Leader Needs New Home for “Peeves”

Peeves used to be such a darling ‘lil puppy. Always a bit ornery, mind you, but who could resist that face? She grew up fast, though. Still cute I guess, but she’s turned into one destructive pet, chewing, barking, biting…devouring treasured items. Does she play well with others? Not exactly. She resists training and seems to enjoy being defiant. I can hardly leave the house anymore! Because she’s my pet, I can’t just get rid of her. It’s that loyalty that causes me to make excuses for her behavior, but I’m beginning to wonder if Peeves is the best fit for my home after all. Surely someone else could give her the time, the help, the training that she needs to be a better pet. I want my life back again.

Sincerely,

Joy

*****

“Pet Peeve.” It sounds so cute and innocent. But is it really? I researched its origin and found this description on Word Detective’s website:

The precise derivation of “peevish” is uncertain, but it may be related to the Latin “perversus,” meaning “reversed, perverse.” The original meaning of “peevish” was simply “silly or foolish,” but by about 1530 it had acquired the sense of “irritable, ill-tempered or fretful.” Surprisingly, it then took several hundred years to develop “peeve” as the word for the irritating agent or action. “Pet peeve,” meaning the one thing that annoys you more than anything else, first appeared around 1919. The “pet” (in the sense of “favorite”) formulation probably owes its popularity and longevity to its mild perversity (“favorite annoyance” is a bit oxymoronic) as well as its snappy alliteration.*

Amazing. Pet Peeve is such a sweet-sounding saying until you realize it possibly originated from words like “reversed” and “perverse.” While some of our pet peeves are silly and fun to joke about, others make us downright irritated or angry. When I let my pet annoyances out of their kennel, I’m tellin’ you, sisters, it ain’t pretty.

Out of my pinky pledge to be transparent with anyone who pauses to ponder what I’m penning, I began to type out some of my pet peeves. (Hopefully one of yours is not cheesy stabs at alliteration). In doing so, I realized how ridiculous they sounded. How petty they really are. Backspace light bulb moment: Pet Peeves are another name for petty thieves.

In John 10:10, Jesus said,
“The thief comes to steal, kill & destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Thank goodness for His mercy. My friends, it doesn’t matter if we’re ministering at church, at the grocery store, on the web, in the carpool line, in the employee lounge or the kitchen, If we let the irritating or irresponsible actions of others break in and occupy our thoughts, it won’t be long until they rob our ministries blind, one treasure at a time. Oddly enough, two of my biggest pet peeves happen at church every Sunday. Instead of ignoring it, I sit and seethe and struggle—before you know it, my focus on Jesus is next to nil! Great strategy for the thief, wouldn’t you say?

That’s why my focus—our focus—needs to stay on the person of Jesus Christ. That’s why our on-fire desire must be to walk by the Spirit. We can’t will ourselves to grin and bear others, because at the very source of our irritability are muddy attitudes like pride and selfishness, insecurity, arrogance and legalism. Yuck! With Jesus as our Source, though, we can trust Him to lead us to His action, whether it’s to overlook, to pray, to seek advice or even to confront another’s actions.

It’s hard to give up our cute ‘lil pet named Peeves. But she will grow more and more unruly if we continue to tolerate her antics. That’s why she must go. Or must she? Perhaps it’s not as much about giving her away as it is about handing her leash over to the Grand Resident in our homes. After all, He has what it would take to train her into proper submission.

So let’s spend our time, energy and praise on the One who gives perfect order to all that disrupts our life to the full. By His grace, He can take our pet peeves and any other distractions that get in the way of our devotion to Him and make them into something beautiful, like Humility, Sacrifice, Gentleness, Forgiveness, and Joy. His name is Jesus, and He is our very life. Let’s give Him control of what’s gnawing at our hearts today.

*Source: www.word-detective.com: June 7, 2004

LauraLee Shaw

Daughter of the Almighty, wife of 20 years, Mama bear & taxi driver to 3 stinkers, mentor, sister, friend, writer & speaker. I long to be authentic & share the Word of Truth in person and online. I like to mix my life experiences--the big, the small, the great & the ugly--along with a bit of dramatic humor, in order to show how the Lord has been up close & personal each step of the way. My testimony can be found here: A Patch from My Past. Also Join me on Facebook, or Twitter, or my personal blog.

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