1. Check your heart. When it comes to frustrating circumstances and people, the only thing you and I can control is our responses to them. "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45 NIV) This is why it's so important that we check our hearts. There may be something buried deep inside that needs to be dealt with before dealing with whatever or whoever is causing the frustration. Otherwise, we may find ourselves causing more problems than the one that is currently the cause of the frustration itself.
2. Readjust priorities. Handling frustration in the right way may mean we need to readjust our priorities. It's okay to feel frustrated, but it's a temptation and tactic of the enemy to stay frustrated. Prioritize, then, what God's will is for you in the midst of the frustrating moment. "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." (Psalm 105:4 NIV) When we seek God first in a frustrating moment, we are allowing God to handle our frustration for us instead of the frustration handling us. Keeping God's will as the priority, gives us the strength we need to take the next step in dealing with what's causing our frustration.
3. Be strong and work. This may not be the most popular tip of how to handle frustration, especially if the frustration is coming from your work, but it is a powerful one. When the Israelites were rebuilding their temple after being exiled in Babylon, they became frustrated and discouraged. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord instructed them to "be strong" and "work" because He was with them (see Haggai 2:4). This advice is for you and me, too. The Lord is with you. He will help you through whatever it is that is causing your frustration; just be strong and work as if working for Him. Colossians 3:23 (NLT) says, "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Keep choosing God’s way and keep loving Him because He will work, too. He promised us in Romans 8:28 that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him. And God always keeps His promises, so be strong and work.
4. Give thanks. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God says to "give thanks in all circumstances.” That word "all" means giving thanks even in the most frustrating of moments. Frustrated because of the massive pile of laundry? Give thanks for clothes to wear. Frustrated by a difficult person at work? Give thanks for the challenge to love an enemy. Frustrated by the amount of bills to pay? Give thanks for the opportunity to trust God and His provisions. Give thanks in ALL circumstances because "this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). God knows if we stay grateful, then we stay open to His blessings. And wouldn't it be extraordinary to receive a blessing in the midst of a frustration? Frustrations, then, may just be an opportunity for God's glory and awesomeness to shine and show up.
5. Stay secure in God's image. Don't allow frustrations to define you. Stay secure in the image of God. Let Him define you. "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27) When we are secure in the image of God, which is who He made us to be, then we can deal with frustrations the way He would want us to deal with them. We would not be affected by our frustrations to the point of being changed by them. The greatest threat as believers is an attack on our identity--anything and anyone causing us to question who we are. Stay secure in God's image, for when we do, the enemy can’t use a frustration to take us down. Feelings are momentary but how we handle them can potentially impact our lives and the lives of others close to us forever.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God."
Psalm 40: 1-3 ESV
May the Lord put a new song in your heart and mouth as you seek Him and step securely onto the path He's laid out for you--out of the frustrating, miry bog.
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