"Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in."
Galatians 6:9 Amplified Study Bible
Time and again we are faced with things that frustrate us. It may be caused by attempting to do a certain task that doesn't seem to go the way we had planned. At other times, we take on much too much and we find it difficult in balancing things, keeping the plates spinning and, sadly every now and then, one or two of the plates fall and things become a mess. Frustration can also be caused by certain people who claim to know best and bend our ear, trying to get us to listen or change our minds.
This frustration can cause us to do certain things such as, lose our temper, letting rip with a lot of words that we bitterly regret later on. We can also be tempted to give it up and walk away and then sink into feeling sorry for ourselves, refusing to be talked round by those close to us. Discouragement can kick in and this can lead to depression where we can fall into a black hole, unable to care about anything at the time.
How can you deal with this? Well first of all:
Make sure that you can do the task in the first place.
As an example, you may be able to wire an electrical plug, but this doesn't mean that you can re-wire the whole house. Some may be competent to do this and the job goes well. Others may feel they can and make a complete mess of it all, ending up with sparks flying out of every socket. If you don't measure up to the job, say so. Buy a book that may be able to guide you through the process or ask someone for advice or even help. Don't be so full of pride that you attempt to do something that you are not qualified for. It will only cause you frustration and others too.
Stop spinning all of the plates
The human body was designed with two hands, not four. You cannot take on jobs that require the use of three or four hands and expect it all to go right. Look at the example of the old plate-spinner. He would have a dozen or so canes standing up and he would begin to spin plates from each one of these. At first, it would all go well. However, after a short time, he would begin to run out of steam and one plate would wobble and he would dash to it, Just as he reached this, two or three others would wobble and he would try to rescue these too. Eventually, they would begin to crash to the floor, and he would end up, frustrated by it all.
Don't take on too much.
Don't allow other people to frustrate you
Other people may well have some good advice to offer and it is sensible to consider this. However, others may want you to do what they want, not what you want. They will say that you are not doing it the right way, you should do this and that. Pretty soon, you can end up so confused that you don't know which way to go. Be polite to them but also be firm, letting them know that you value their input but you want to try it this way first. Let them know that you will bear it in mind and will let them know if you need them.
Becoming angry with people or even yourself, is a recipe for disaster; you're not in control of yourself. When things are not going very well, take some time out. Make some coffee or go out for a walk, trying to incorporate a hobby that fits this time such as taking a camera with you. Time outs can be life-saving, it saves all of the frustration. All frustration does is rob you of your joy, your focus and sometimes, your friends.
We all become frustrated in many ways but it can be dealt with efficiently. Refuse it in your life from this moment. Easier said that done? No not really, you are able to deal with frustration if you determine to, with God's help.
Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard
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