At 11 p.m. the other night, my husband prayed, “Lord, help us love people who sing all night.” The karaoke was still going strong in our neighborhood. With our baby and kids sleeping (hopefully), we laid awake to the thumping of the bass and the lovely sound of drunken amateur singers.

Ah, the overseas life. When we were stateside, it sounded glamorous — or at the very least, like an existence in which God will certainly soften those small, sharp corners of life for you. You know, as a positive payback for the sacrifice of giving your all — right?

Life in another culture is adventurous, exciting, and rewarding. The people here are beautiful, and the culture is rich with kindness and smiling faces. The warm hearts of our neighbors have hugely blessed us as they’ve shown us hospitality and friendship, even though we’re out of place as foreigners.

But as for sharp corners that poke our sensitive spots — irritations that we’ve always had — these are magnified. Things that were stressful enough back in the U.S. (from small accomplishments like taking all three kids to the grocery store to harder things like homeschooling my special needs child) now sometimes leave me crying in frustration, just because of the new layers of unfamiliarity a different culture brings. Not to mention trying to communicate in another language!

This is our first year in this gorgeous country, and we've learned a lot. Among other things, we’ve learned the incredible graciousness of God. He may not soften the corners for us, but He is there to bring peace in the midst. He has shown His faithfulness over and over by slowly but surely changing my reactions to the things that irritate me. He’s changed not only my outward reactions, but also my heart. Only God can take things that naturally frustrate us and turn them into a cause for compassion towards others.

His perspective: These people who sing all night — someday let it be worship songs that wake us from our sleep! Someday may these beautiful people have smiling faces because of Your eternal joy. Thank you, Lord, for sending us here, for smoothing our own edges, and thank you, Lord for the incredibly valuable souls who sing all night.

Felicia and her family live and make disciples in Thailand.