Don’t say, “That person gets on my nerves.”
Think, “That person sanctifies me.”
—St. Josemaría Escrivá*

Do you have people who “get on your nerves”? Of course you do. We all do. But if you’re trying to grow in love of God and get your family to Heaven, you’re going to have to change the way you think about those people.

St. Josemaría Escrivá is a perfect saint to go to for help in our everyday journey toward holiness. He was a priest who founded Opus Dei, a global apostolate that helps Catholics answer the call
to ordinary holiness. He taught that everything we do must be for the glory of God.

That means that even our interactions with others must be for the glory of God.

So when someone is bothering you, offending you, inconveniencing you, or otherwise “getting on your nerves,” you’re given a golden opportunity to grow in holiness.

How, you ask?

You can take it as a sign that you need to grow in the virtues of kindness, humility, patience, self-control, generosity, gratitude, and so on. You can exercise those virtues, and perhaps it will rub off on the person whose behavior is affecting you. And you can pray for that person!

I assure you, if you can change the way you view your interactions with certain people, and if you see the opportunity to grow in holiness, your soul will rise to new heights!

Let us pray:

St. Josemaría Escrivá, you said it perfectly: “This person
sanctifies me.” Help me not to be bothered by this interaction,
but help me to soften my heart so I can be sanctified.
Remind me that everything I do should be oriented toward
growing in holiness and getting to Heaven. Amen.

And a shorter prayer you can memorize and pray often:

St. Josemaría Escrivá, help me to soften my heart
so I can be sanctified by this interaction. Amen.

This article is excerpted from “The Prayer Book for Tired Parents: Practical Ways to Grow in Love of God and Get Your Family to Heaven” (c) 2022 David and Debbie Cowden. Please only reproduce with permission.

*The Way, no. 174, Josemaría Escrivá, https://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point174.htm.