Frustration

Apr 30, 2021

"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

- St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

"I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream."

- Temple Grandin

Have you ever noticed how two people can have a completely different experience of the same event? You have two persons sitting in a church service (now that we're indoors… Yay God!), and one person says, "I never thought they'd stop singing that one song over and over again… while the other person sitting right beside them has snot on their collar ‘cause they've been crying through the entire song because it was just what they needed. Same event… different experience. When you get married, you learn at an accelerated rate that we don't always experience the same event the same way… right?!

Several years ago, Candace and I were in the living room watching a movie when I looked over and noticed there were tears in her eyes. Surprised, I asked,

"Are you OK?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Is there something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Then why are you crying?"

She just shrugged her shoulders… then looked at me and tenderly said, "I love you."

"OK," I said somewhat suspiciously, "I love you too."

Because when you're married that is always the right response… But the truth is, I did not have the slightest clue what was going on. Same movie… different response.

In this passage in 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is talking about two very strange bedfellows that normally don't seem to go together… Faithfulness and Frustration… two very different experiences of the same event. In this letter to the people in Corinth, Paul is airing his frustrations for all to see. Paul is also very open about his faith in Jesus as Risen Lord.

Here's the point: The most faithful people are oftentimes the most frustrated people ‘cause they're the ones trying to stick it out and make it happen or make it work. So watch this… sometimes your frustration is an indicator of your faithfulness.

You see, Paul's frustrated ‘cause he has a "thorn in the flesh"... something he had to deal with that didn't make sense, that caused him pain, and something that was an embarrassment for him. Got anything like that in your life today? And like Paul you have asked the Lord to take it away… but He hasn't. Why?

I don't know for sure, but in verse 7, Paul says,

"even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God… to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in the flesh."

It was a Gift? So… it's going to benefit me?... strengthen me?... bless me? Paul says the thorn is so painful he can't talk about it… and that he received a vision so wonderful he can't talk about that. Both are unspeakable and both are from the same God. Sometimes the only way God keeps the gifted grounded is through frustration.