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How frustration can help grow our relationship with God

Frustration.

When things don’t meet expectations or go the way they “ought to.” It happens to all of us. It happened to me this week.

I am actively working on my master thesis. Next week is the deadline for the final proposal. I had worked hard the last few weeks to get something into place that I thought was going to be my proposal. But the feedback came back from my supervisor. 

It needs to be better.

Okay, I thought, no problem…just a few tweaks here and there and Voila right?

Turns out it is a problem. More than a problem. My proposal has a structural problem. Meaning that a looot had to change! 

Frustration. 

I have spent hours pouring into this, and now I need to change almost the whole proposal just over a week to the deadline? This was not how it was supposed to be. 

I admit that I was not particularly pleased about the development. I complained to my wife. Fought it, denied it. Everything to ignore the reality of what lay ahead. 

Ask

I also brought it to the Lord. I asked him to give me peace, to help me and give me wisdom. 

Did it help?

Perhaps a little. 

But the truth is, this post is not about a miracle story of how the Lord has given me a supernatural idea, or supernatural peace. 

It is a post about relationship.

No special tickets

Because God does not promise that everything will go well with us in this world. He does not promise that we will never be frustrated or that he will work out everything this side of eternity.

We aren't entitled to “special privileges in this life because you are a Christian tickets,” although sometimes we like to think we are. 

But he does promise that he will always be there. That no matter what, just like David in so many of the psalms we can voice our frustrations to God, and he will listen, even when it seems that he is not. 

Because He wants to hear our raw emotions, He wants to go deep with us, and engage in real relationship. A relationship where we share the deepest part of who we are.

So my encouragement this week is this:  you don’t need to hide yourself from God. If you are frustrated, share it with Him.

It may not solve your problems, or bring about a supernatural sense of calm, but it will draw you closer to Him.

And that is an amazing thing.

Be Blessed,

Aaron

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