Skip to main content

Frustration

  

            “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

 

            It’s said that parents spend the first part of a child’s live in eager anticipation of the baby walking and talking, and the next twenty years wishing they would stop getting in the way, getting into things and just sit down and shut  up. They find themselves frustrated as parents as they try to explain what is obvious to them but their children respond to as if the parents were speaking a foreign language. And it’s no better for the kid who are encouraged to crawl, walk, or talk to take whatever catches their eye, and then spend the rest of their lives being told not to touch, to sit down, and to shut up. And when we start discussing pets, that leads us to a whole new level of frustrations for all concerned.

            It's only reasonable, then, that when it comes to the relationship between God and us, there will be frustration and I’m going to suggest that there is frustration on both sides. But the issue here is that there are two meanings of frustration. The first is the state of being prevented or stopped. The second is a feeling of irritation or dissatisfaction with the situation. When writing about God being frustrated, it is in the second sense. Consider the number of times Jesus scolded people for their “little faith.”

            The other issue is that when we get frustrated in the second sense, we tend to lash out at others. We get cranky. We may even lose control. God doesn’t do that. Even the discipline that He gives us is designed for our long-term benefit.  This sort of frustration on God’s part brings about statements like today’s passage. “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” We don’t think like God or act like God.  It’s silly to pretend that we’re on the same level with Him. Even when He stoops to a level we might comprehend a little, it’s still silly to pretend that we’re even near the same level with Him.

            As frustrating as it is, it is also comforting in two senses. The first comfort is the sigh of relief because we can trust that things will eventually turn out well.  And based on that assurance, we can be com-forted (with-strength-ed) to go on.

            This means that the very source of our frustration is our source of comfort. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more