How do you handle frustration? What is your reaction when things don’t go your way? Will you continue to wallow in your misery? Or, will you decide to give up feeling sorry for yourself and reach out to the One who can pull you up?
We see all manner of frustrations all around us today. There is the current pandemic that has people mostly staying home and, with the pandemic, comes the endless argument of “to wear a mask or not to wear a mask.” There is the racial unrest that has both peaceful protests and incited riots. There is the presidential election that is heating up with people rabidly standing on both sides, while some simply don’t even want to contemplate it. These are just three on the national stage, not to mention the daily frustrations we have in our individual lives. All of it can be overwhelming.
Our country is about as divided as it has been since the civil war. The odd thing about it is we will see people who disagree on one subject yet agree on another. So, we argue and fight on the one hand, then agree and stand together on the other. It can be quite confusing, and it creates a lot of chaos.
Our frustration level can reach a breaking point, if we are not well grounded. Even then, we can be pushed to our limit. It is only when we lean on God that we gain the strength to continue. He is patiently waiting for us to reach out to Him.
I’ve seen a lot of messages flying around on social media quoting Scripture and advising people to turn to God. Yet, I don’t see many people doing so with their actions. In fact, many of those who fling the Scriptures around don’t follow them. They remind me of an old saying that pointed out the hypocrisy of their actions, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
When we fail to follow the Scriptures, we continue to wallow in our pigsty. Rather than making changes for the good, we become comfortable in the mud and muck we are living in. Perhaps one day we will wake up and recognize just how bad our situation is and decide to reach to God for His help.
I pray we all decide to read, study, and ingest the Scriptures. I pray we reach out to God to pull us out of the pigsty we revel in. I pray each of us will open our eyes, recognize our situation, and move in a positive direction. Reach out to God. See your current situation and actions for what they truly are. Know that God has a better plan for you. Leave the pigsty behind to live in God’s presence.
John 15:17-20 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Marty Pressey 