Are You Frustrated?

 

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this one…frustration. 

 

I feel frustrated sometimes–in fact–often.  I feel it about all kinds of things on a number of levels.  There is the frustration of going to the store to look for those tortilla chips that are perfect (Just went through a wonderful bag of some "blue" tortilla chips).  Went back to the store.  They were nowhere to be found.  Then I remembered, I got them in Oklahoma City.  That is a minor frustration.  There are those frustrations which are much more serious. 

 

Doesn’t frustration often come because something is blocked or delayed?  That "something" may or may not be that important in the larger scheme of things. 

 

So this is what I’ve been thinking about lately.  Frustration may be very good (and even that sounds frustrating).  Here’s what I mean.

 

There is a kind of holy-frustration that a person feels because you are focused on God and his purposes or desires are not being met. 

There is also a kind of unholy-frustration that a person feels because his/her selfish desires are being blocked, delayed, ignored, etc. 

There are probably other frustrations that are basically neutral and fit neither of the above categories.

 

I want to suggest that holy-frustration is good!   You refuse to accept the status quo.  You refuse to settle.  You refuse to spend your life yawning before God.  Rather, you have your focus on God, his character, who he is and you desire to know him more fully.  You have a passion to see his kingdom become a reality and you refuse to ignore what He wants.  You understand clearly that Life is not about you but about Him.

 

Sometimes I can honestly say this is the source of many of my frustrations.  But–not always.  Far too often, I get frustrated because in some way, I am being inconvenienced or someone is not performing at the level I expect (sounds pretty arrogant doesn’t it?– It is.)  What I find "interesting" or revealing is that I can get more frustrated with the air conditioner man not showing up at my house ("yea, we’ll be there at 1:00 PM.  Hmmmmmm.) than some of the things that are not being done that are important to God.

 

I don’t want to over do this.  I just think it is important that we feel some holy-frustration for the things of God.
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By the way, the above picture reminds me that Thanksgiving is just weeks away…