Frustration is a tell. It is the tip off that something is up. It lets you know that there is something going on.

Frustration can come in many forms but perhaps the most popular one is the one where you are trying to get something done only to find out that there are roadblocks in your way. That happened to me yesterday. That which normally takes 10-15 minutes took over an hour.

“Don’t you know I have things to do?”

What do you do with that? You know something is going on. You may attribute it to a person or a situation, but it reveals. How you respond in the midst of it is very telling. Do you flip out, allow you peace to escape or do you take moment and walk through it? Your answer tells a lot about your trust in the Lord.

Why? The meditation can be a road block, the devil, or even God. It matters little, except perhaps it is there to see what is going on with you. The situation that is unseen often reveals character and trust in the Lord. Is that too hard? I think not. How do you respond?

As I went through a frustrating time yesterday, it caused me to think upon the fact that sometimes we have so many plates in the air we miss out on the very thing that we want to accomplish. At some point we are going to have to put plates down to focus on something else.

Many people have a bright and prosperous future, but as Paul said, in his growing up he had to put away childish or immature things. I only have so many hours in a week, so not only do I have to manage my time, but I also must be willing to make a trade. Many times I look at something greater and realize that there may well be a sacrifice.

A few years ago I watched my brother go through a heart attack. At some point he decided he wanted to run again. He gave up a number of “old habits” and a few short years later he ran the Boston Marathon.

It is easy as a rule to determine what is demonic or even what is one’s self causing the frustration. Less so when it is the Lord. How many times have I found myself in a detour that revealed not only my depth of character and trust, but often added something new to my life?

Frustration indicates disappointment. Do not let it get its hooks into you. Take every frustrating moment and see the power and presence of the Lord. As we are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “there is not temptation common to man that God who is faithful, has not supplied a way out.” It is in our weakness that we are endued with the power and presence. Weakness is not something to be “avoided”but something to be embraced. God appears mightily in those times.

The next time a frustrating moment or situation appears, ask yourself, what is it that God will reveal. What will He show me?

Cheers!