But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:8
How do you combat frustration? Or must you just learn to live with it, like dandelions in your grass, dandruff in your hair, and wrinkles in your face? No! There are some things you can do to eliminate frustration and make your life less complicated. Jot them down on paper. Go to our website and download these guidelines. You can fight back.
Guideline #1: Consult with God before you make your plan. It’s here we often fail. Ignoring Him, we formulate our plan, then we ask Him to bless it, or call on Him to bail us out when we’re in trouble–instead of saying, “Lord, what do you want? Is what I have in mind in sync with your will and purpose for my life?” During the conquest of Canaan, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua, taking moldy bread and wearing old thread-bare clothes, saying they had come a long way, and wanted to make a treaty with Israel. They lied. They were deceivers, but Joshua fell for it. Their failure, says Joshua 9:14, came because Joshua and his associates “did not inquire of the LORD.” In other words, they didn’t ask God for wisdom or pray about making a treaty.
The moral: There are plenty of people and situations which will deceive you unless God opens your eyes and gives you discernment. So let your strategy be born from times of quiet prayer and meditation.
Guideline #2: Realize Murphy’s Law is as exacting as the laws of thermodynamics. Remember, simply put, Murphy’s Law is that if something can go wrong, it will. That’s a given. So, to eliminate the frustration of Murphy’s Law, you need to learn to plan ahead. Have a contingency plan so that if Plan A doesn’t work, you have Plan B which will get you where you want to go a different way. Arctic expeditions, space exploration, or getting to grandmother’s on a day when traffic is bad will succeed only if you have Plan B, and perhaps, Plan C or D as well. Avoid the frustration of getting caught in traffic by leaving early enough to cope with unavoidable traffic. Time for a cup of coffee at your destination is better than having to call and say, “Hey, I’m really sorry, but I can’t get there. I’m stuck in traffic.”
Guideline #3: Don’t expect to walk on water. Some of our frustrations are the result of attempting the impossible. Be realistic. It is better to have goals that you can achieve than to have them so lofty they are unrealistic—then you’re always frustrated, never achieving your expectations.
Guideline #4: To avoid frustration, act without reacting. OK, you get a negative response. Do you fight? Do you walk away? Or do you come back with a new approach? OK, you can’t climb the mountain. But you can tunnel through or go around, but don’t quit.
Guideline #5: Fix it or forget it. If your car is a source of frustration, at some point, it is better to park it and walk, get a new one, or buy a bicycle rather than just frustrate. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to people. You can’t trade in your brother-in-law for a new model. If you can’t fix it, ask God for the grace to love it like it is.
Guideline #6: Simplify, simplify, simplify. When I was struggling with a computer, my dad said, “Wouldn’t it be better to just get a good electric typewriter?” You see, simplifying can solve some frustrations.
Guideline #7: Refuse to let it get to you. You can put up a barrier that says, “This far and no further!”
Resource reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11
