Sandpaper People
For Women by Women
Submitted by Trish Williams
September 20, 2024
Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
No matter how long we have been a believer in Christ there will always be areas of our life that God is working on to perfect us in every good work to do His will. In my life I see God doing that through sandpaper people. Most likely you have them in your life, too.
Sandpaper people are those who “get under our skin or rub us the wrong way.” It might be through habitual actions, personality, or character traits. It can be any person or situation in which we find our spiritual man struggling over the flesh to do, be, or say, that which is right.
Sandpaper is divided into three basic grit categories with each performing a specific purpose.
Coarse grit is used to shape, level, or remove flaws in a piece of wood. Consider the sin that doth so easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1), and the strongholds of our life in which we often face defeat rather than victory. Could it be that is why that sandpaper person remains in our path – because that person is part of God’s plan to help us gain victory in a particular area of our life that has us greatly flawed as a child of His?
Medium grade sandpaper is used to smooth out scratches and minor blemishes. This sandpaper is not nearly as abrasive to the touch. It is used after the coarse grade to finish smoothing out the tiny lines of imperfection that remain. In a believer these may be areas that we have done some growing in, but we still find ourselves surrendering to the flesh, rather than responding in a godly manner, more often than we should.
Then there is the fine grade of sandpaper that is used for removing raised wood grain fibers, buffing, or bringing a fine polish to a finished product. At this stage, rather than being afflicted by the sandpaper person, we respond in a godly manner, while at the same time we seek the opportunity to minister truth to them. Thus, we have allowed God to work in our life to become well pleasing in His sight.
Consider – Rather than thinking of sandpaper people as bad, or wishing they would just go away, let us allow God to use them to shape us, and sand out the blemishes, so that we may be more like Him.
