Frustrated

F...futile
R...ridiculous
U...useless
S...struggle
T...trivial
R...rawr!
A...absurd
T...this is getting harder...
I...irrational
O...oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam...
N...negative

I had so much I was going to spew about as far as what frustrates me (recently, presently) in life, but after doing that letter/word association poem, I am not all that frustrated anymore.

Here's the deal, I don't know how to deal properly with frustration. This is very unfortunate considering how often I find myself frustrated. As a Christian, how am I to respond when things frustrate me?

1) Am I to pretend all is well with the world regardless and go on about my business, forcing myself never to feel frustrated?

Answer: Nice try. No way.

2) Am I to let frustration get to me to the point where I issue black eyes to unsuspecting individuals as a form of personal therapy and release and work out my frustrations as such?

Answer: Though incredibly tempting, NAY.

Well then what? Either I let it get to me or I don't, right?

Maybe.

In one of my talks with God earlier (about five minutes before I started typing this) I asked him, "God, what am I supposed to do when I get frustrated?"

What am I supposed to do when my washing machine breaks? When I struggle with how to allocate our finances? When I step in something wet with my socked feet? When my heater at work breaks and my legs go numb because I'm so cold? When people expect me to help them in ways I can't? When the florist makes me repeat - three times - information I've already given her? When I get tired because people just don't get it? When I want to be left alone and people won't leave me be? When I want to be around people, and everyone lets me be? What am I supposed to do?

I heard nothing.

"God, what am I supposed to do when I ask you something but become frustrated because you just sit there to let me figure it out? Hello! Answer me!"

I heard it. A smile. Have you ever heard a smile? I don't believe I ever had, but that's the only way to explain it. I heard a smile.

1 Peter 5:7. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Okay, fine. I have no problem giving my problems away. But then what? Do I just sit here and wonder what will happen next?

I heard a smile.

Proverbs 16:3. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

So wait. You mean to tell me you're going to take my problems ~ if I hand them over to you ~ and then working as if for you, things will work out? What if something happens? What if something goes wrong? And why are you smiling at me?

Matthew 6:33,34. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

And there I have it. Give, Do, Trust.

If someone came to me asking how to deal with frustration, and all the while I had been frustrated with them because they weren't listening to me trying to tell them how to deal with frustration....I would smile too.