We may find it easy to be grateful for the good things, the blessings, and those who are easy to love.

You should show gratitude for the person who blesses you, encourages you, or helps you out of a tough situation. That is great, we should all be thankful for such people. We should all try to be that kind of person.

But let’s be honest, some people are more difficult to tolerate, much less be the object of our gratitude. To be clear, I’m not talking about an abuser, a liar, or a thief. You should keep your distance from these people. I’m talking about those who have good intentions but seem to wear you out. They may be a little needier than others, or they may often find themselves in various types of trouble. Or it simply could be a person who consistently requires more time than you want to invest.

Some people seem to give you energy when you interact with them, others seem to suck the life right out of you. I would love to be holy enough, patient enough, and loving enough to not notice the difference in people. But I have always had people in my life that test my patience, take my energy, or just wear me out. I’m sure you are thinking of a person or two right now.

But I’ve grown to be grateful for those people over the years. They seem to teach me to stop what I’m doing and re-evaluate my attitude. I am not always as thankful as I should be for these people, but I am learning to look for the lesson in the middle of my inconvenience. I’m trying to show more gratitude for the people who wear me out.

What about you?

Again, I’m not talking about people who have bad motives or nefarious intentions.

Please forgive them and stay away from them.

But are there people who wear you out?

Test your patience?

Get on that second to last nerve?

If so, try to be thankful for the lessons learned, your ability to help, or for the way it reminds you of God’s grace given to you. Try to show patience, attempt to understand, be like Jesus is with all of us.

Do more than tolerate them. Pray for them. Help them. Guide them. Love them.

The fact is, the people who wear you out are likely extremely grateful for you.