Eliminating Frustration, Aggravation and Irritation

 

Are you frequently aggravated, frustrated, annoyed, or irritated when things don’t go the way you’ve planned?  We must realize that no matter how carefully we may plan out our daily schedule we are not in control of ANY of our circumstances in this life. There will be times when our sovereign Creator chooses to make unexpected changes in our day.  When those upredictable events come, will our reaction be one of thankfulness in understanding that God has distinct intentions for those changes, or will we become angry because our will is not being accomplished?  When our agenda is altered by unforseen situations, how should we respond?

There are numerous things we all strive to get accomplished during our day, however, quite often we find ourselves stalled by an interruption, delay or cancellation of our plans.  All of these unpredictable events can cause us frustration because we are not accomplishing what we had originally set out to do. Sometimes we may bring these irritations upon ourselves through the choices we make, or our dilemma may be totally unsolicited.  I have had my share of unanticipated circumstances that weren’t scheduled in my calendar. 

One such incident occurred last Saturday evening when I accidently pumped more than 10 gallons of “unleaded” fuel into the gas tank of our “diesel” truck.  Sitting for over two hours at a gas station waiting for a tow truck wasn’t at all what I had planned for my evening, but the Lord turned a seemingly frustrating incident into an opportunity to demonstrate to our three teens that we needed to spend some time in prayer, trust God to help us and be flexible.  If we look close enough, we will find the benefits and blessings God has for us through the situation.  If I hadn’t gotten the wrong fuel, I wouldn’t have taken the time to talk with the gas station attendant about how God answers prayer. God also used the gracious reaction of my husband to my absent mindedness, to demonstrate to our children that we all should be forbearing and merciful to others who make mistakes.  I also witnessed the great love my husband has for me because of his patience and willingness to spend several hours fixing the problem I had created.   It would not have accomplished anything good for us all to have become frustrated. God is in complete control and always has a purpose for every unexpected situation.  It is good to have goals and make plans but we must realize that God may have a far different agenda for us.  Proverbs 20:24, “A man’s steps are of the Lord, How then can man understand his own way?”  It’s beyond our comprehension to fully understand God’s sovereign ways.  He desires for us to rest in the peace of knowing He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).  We must look above the obvious circumstances we face and gain deeper spiritual insight, so that we develop a more intimate relationship with Him.  

 

When we become frustrated we are actually elevating our own will above God’s eternal purposes. We do not share the same perspective that God has.  We’re told in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  We must remind ourselves that our sinful human tendency is to focus on the here and now, but God’s perspective is ALWAYS eternal!  God’s intent is not to spare us from every disappointment or dilemma in this life.  God’s will for us is to place our dependence on Him, trust Him and give Him the honor and glory through our responses in every situation we face.  We must realize that we will never be in control of anything, so our faith and trust must be firmly secured in the only One who is in authority over ALL things.

 If we resist God’s control and stubbornly rebel against His all-knowing plan and intent for us, we will be frustrated, irritated, angry bitter people. Furthermore, God will persist in chiseling away at our selfishness by bringing more of those unexpected predicaments into our lives because His mission for us is holiness.  We choose to become angry because our expectations are not being fulfilled and question God’s goodness in allowing those disappointments into our lives.   

 It is imperative that we understand that no matter how we justify our frustrations, irritations or annoyances, they are all terms we use to describe our root sin of anger.  Anger is an indicator that we care more about what pleases us than what pleases and glorifies God.  If we’d like to live a more frustration free life, we must confess every form of anger that is in our hearts.  The sin of anger or frustration not only breaks our communion and fellowship with God but it also destroys relationships with our family and friends. There are devastating effects on our loved ones because a frustrated, angry person tends to be quite difficult to live with.  Proverbs 29:22 “A man of wrath
stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”

 Whether our frustration is inward or outwardly manifested, the physical effects on our body have been medically proven.  Angry people experience some forms of heart problems, the tendency to suffer from high blood pressure and even strokes.  Before I bowed my stubborn will to my sovereign Creator, I could’ve died in the Critical Care Unit because of my sin of anger.  I was frequently irritated, offended, bothered, frustrated, and silently angry when things didn’t turn out my way, when people didn’t meet up to my expectations, or when I wasn’t treated the way I thought I deserved to be treated.  Does this sound like a joy filled existence?  A few years later I read that there are some heart problems that can be caused by anger and I realized I’d been placing my will and desires above God’s. I finally repented of my anger and asked God to forgive me.  I then was led to write about how His power had radically changed me, which I included in my first blog “Saved from the road to destruction”.        

In examining your own heart, do you become frustrated, irritated and angry when things don’t go the way you thought they should?  Have you ever realized that frustration and irritation are really anger?   God’s desire for us to live the abundant life does not include being enslaved to the sin of anger.  We waste precious time in this life when wrapped up in our petty annoyances.  We must humble ourselves, and seek forgiveness from the Lord.   We will then be free to live a life filled with joy and abundance, trusting in our sovereign Savior who is in authority over ALL things and desires only our best.  2 Samuel 22:31 shows us “As for God, His way is perfect.”