Skip to main content

Frustration


What frustrates you?

This morning, I became frustrated, and once the frustration crept into my mind, everything changed. I became critical, short-tempered, and judgmental. Suddenly I found everyone and everything annoying. I allowed one small interaction in the morning to color my focus and outlook for hours. Silly, isn't it? Does this ever happen to you?

I found some definitions for "frustration" that helped me put words around why exactly the interaction I had this morning frustrated me:

"Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will." (Ouch.)

"A deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs" (Ah!)

Basically, I became frustrated because I was challenged. I allowed my pride to be wounded. Someone did not comply with a request on my timeline, and this person responded to me briskly, so I took offense.

What a waste of energy for me to allow myself to get frustrated over this minor challenge and carry that with me for half of the day! I wasted hours that I could have been loving on and investing in other people by keeping to myself and not being very social. Instead of taking offense, I should have paused, considered where this person was coming from, what kind of day this person was having, and what might have been on the forefront of his mind.

Jesus did not respond to challenges by getting frustrated. He turned the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). This response can be a bit difficult to comprehend. I know that there is a fine line between turning the other cheek and becoming a doormat who accepts abuse, but in the moment, that fine line can be hard to identify. I think that the key issue to consider in turning the other cheek is how frequently the behavior that prompts the frustration occurs. This morning was the first time this person had been harsh with me, so I was clearly wrong to slink away and harbor bitterness for hours. However, if conversations like that become a habit with this individual, I think it would be wise for me to address the issue and seek understanding.

Bottom line, absolutely nothing positive comes when we allow ourselves to dwell in a state of frustration. When we are tempted to be frustrated, we should either turn the other cheek and move on, or - if the distressing situation occurs frequently - address it kindly and in a very real way. My response today was a complete waste of time and energy.

I pray that the next time you or I are tempted to become frustrated, we stop and access the situation. Then, we can choose how to respond instead of allowing joy-stealing frustration to cloud our days.

Comments

  1. Kim FrederickSeptember 30, 2010 at 10:58 AM

    It sounds like we had similar days yesterday. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jonah and the Worm

My sister gave me a book for Christmas that I finally picked up to read last week. The book – Jonah and the Worm by Jill Briscoe – is a children’s book with deep meanings, and I am so glad that I finally began to read it. It’s kind of like Shrek or other animated movies that are cleverly written to be enjoyed by both children and their parents. The book tells the story of Jonah from the Bible focusing on the perspective of the worm in the story. Details are embellished, but the timing and schedule of events is the same as the Biblical account. This short little book contains really profound truths that have jumped off the page at me. For example, the worm receives a message from God that he should travel to Ninevah, though God doesn’t give him an explanation as to why. Travelling to Ninevah means leaving behind his family and familiarity, but he decides to obey and go where the Lord is sending him – even though he doesn’t know what purpose God has for him there. On his way to Ninevah...
Post a Comment
Read more

Olivia Kate Update

We expected a routine appointment. Last April, the cardiology team told us that we did not have to return for another check-up on the hole in Olivia's heart for a full year. This was music to a mom's and dad's ears! Since her pediatrician had noticed the severe murmur in her heartbeat when she was just four days old, we'd visited the cardiologist office several times to monitor any changes in heart function. So far, it seemed that this hole was not causing any problems, and the doctors said that it might even close on its own. The ultrasounds of Olivia's heart today revealed a different story, unfortunately. The left side of her heart has enlarged slightly over the last year, which tells us that this precious organ is under a bit of stress due to the turbulence of the extra blood flowing in and out of the hole. The first cardiologist who reviewed the ultrasounds with us today told us what we really did not want to hear: Olivia is heading down the path that req...
10 comments
Read more

Fully Present

I passed our infant carseat on to someone else last week. I did the same thing with my maternity clothes. If those seems like drastic steps for someone who up until fairly recently said she wanted to be pregnant, it's because they are. They seemed that way to me too. Even though I was confident I was supposed to pass these items to these particular expectant moms, I still felt a lump in my throat as I drove away without the carseat. If you've followed along with our journey at all, you know that as much as John adores Olivia, he never felt a strong pull to have a second child. I always wanted another and assumed that we would. It wasn't even a question in my mind. We continued to disagree on this (rather substantial) decision for quite a while, so we decided that we'd spend the year 2016 praying intentionally and specifically about this issue, asking God to bring unity. I realize how funny this it is now. God is not a Magic 8 ball who provides answers at...
Post a Comment
Read more