On Being Frustrated...
Including God in our thoughts, perceptions, and needs brings an unexplainable peace to our deepest emotions and thoughts.
I can’t think of anyone who enjoys feeling frustrated. It’s unhealthy, causes anxiety, often triggers fight-or-flight responses, makes decision-making difficult, and can make others feel nervous or even frustrated, too. Consider this: When you’re around frustrated people, you want to help, but usually can’t.
I have a friend who gets easily frustrated around certain people. He tries to please, but someone always seems to hit the right (or wrong!) button. He ends up frustrated because he can never do enough to feel satisfied with himself. There’s always one more thing, just one more demand from others to frustrate him.
God does not want us to live frustrated. The familiar verses of Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Sheila paraphrase:
Do not worry about anything at all. Always dedicate daily life to thankful prayer and carry yourself with humility. Share with God what you’re thinking, your perceptions, and your needs.
Because of this, God’s peace (which you may not fully understand) will guard the innermost parts of where you feel and think.
But why should we let God’s peace guard our hearts and minds? And why is the guarding of our hearts and minds through Jesus?
We should remember Jesus for his sacrifice despite our frustrations in life. Jesus sacrificed on the cross for our sins, but this sacrifice goes even deeper. Jesus gave up his divinity, not just his humanness. He left everything he was in his divine nature to come to earth and experience human nature. It is through his divine sacrifice and because of his human sacrifice that our hearts and minds are shielded from the world.
Including God in our thoughts, perceptions, and needs brings an unexplainable peace to our deepest emotions and thoughts. It is in these inner places that Jesus guards our hearts and minds.
Did my friend pray through the frustration? Maybe. Maybe not. What we do know, though, is that if we stay humble and bring what we find frustrating and anxious to God in prayer, His indescribable peace will fill us, and He will guard our heart and mind.