Today was a really rough day. Strangely, there is nothing specific I could really point to that happened, but at every turn I just kept coming up against some major frustration. Even writing this post, WordPress locked up twice, and I had to rework and rewrite what I lost.
“What’s the point?” echoed in my head. I have this sense about how things should go, and nothing seems to be happening that way. I know all the right things to say, and to do….it isn’t about me and my plan, it’s about Him and His ways; rely and lean on Him; hang in there, tomorrow will be better; etc., etc. I tried all that, along with praying, crying, reading Scripture and plenty of other things. But I’d be lying if I said it helped – it didn’t. None of that really helped at all today.
You see, my frustration isn’t actually so much about my plans, as they are about what I thought were His. I’m feeling like a fish out of water, a lion who lost her voice, or a bull without a china shop. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in my frustration. We all have days like today, don’t we? Days that we just want to throw up our hands, yell “Forget it!”, go back to bed and pray tomorrow’s outlook is much brighter.
In that vein, I’ve decided to focus for a minute on my frustration….not to dwell in the negativity of it, but to hopefully transform it with scriptural truths. I pray that this might somehow all encourage and uplift you in the process.
What is frustration? It’s all about Fear, Reticence, Uncertainty, Sorrow and Troubles. Frustration produces Resignation, often stems from Attack, has inopportune Timing, and can Immobilize and Overwhelm even the most motivated with Negativity. The truth, however, lies in what God says about each of these things…
F – FEAR
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
R – RETICENCE
Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! Joshua 23:14b
U – UNCERTAINTY
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
S – SORROW
Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. Isaiah 60:20
T – TROUBLES
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
R – RESIGNATION
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
A – ATTACK
You are my strength; I wait for You to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress. In His unfailing love, my God will stand with me. Psalm 59:9-10a
T – TIMING
The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:25
I – IMMOBILIZE
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1
O – OVERWHELM
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up. Hebrews 12:2-4
N – NEGATIVITY
May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:74
Our Fear becomes CONFIDENCE, and Reticence, ASSURANCE. Uncertainty becomes TRUST and Sorrow, LIGHT. We are SAFE from our Troubles, and ENDURE when we face Resignation. Under Attack we are RESCUED and the bad Timing seeks out our DEPENDENCE on Him. Our Immobilized selves are once again UPLIFTED to run, and our sense of being Overwhelmed is transformed into JOY.
CONFIDENCE – ASSURANCE – TRUST – LIGHT – SAFETY – ENDURANCE – RESCUE – DEPENDENCE – UPLIFTED – JOY
