I am not normally the type of person that let’s things get to me. I try to be like the duck that lets the water roll off his back. I try to walk in love because not walking in love is not cool to God.
I especially do not blog about work because many a blogger has gotten fired for doing so. I am going to break that rule today but I am not going to say anything here that I would be concerned about if my boss read it. In fact everything I am saying here we have already talked about.
I have to say though that for the last 4-6 months that I have been frustrated with my job. The source of my frustration stems from what I thought I would be doing when I started to what I actually ended up doing.
When I interviewed for the job they presented a dilemma that they had as a company and I had the solution – this is why they hired me. I was excited because I was going to be at the fore front of this solution and it was a step up for me. What happened though was that before I could start on the new solution I had to dig out the old solution and fix it. It has been 6 months of fixing and I am not done yet.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though. See in the type of work that I do you have to continue to do it consistently and stay up on the latest and greatest. You cannot afford to take 6 months or a year off of not doing what I do without getting left behind.
The project that I was supposed to do was going to allow me to build my skill set in my field and allow me to take the next step up. But, because I have not started working on the project I am now 6 months behind in my skills for my field (at least on my resume).
Also, because of the area that we now live in jobs are not as plentiful as they were in California. They do not tend to pay as much either. The pickin’s are slimmer here (Texas talk 
).
Finally, since I am the sole bread winner for the family I really do not have the luxury of quitting and finding something new. Financial stability is really important to us now that we have kids and my wife’s parents to take care of.
So there it is - “The List” of frustrations. Now the solution.
Who is to Blame?
Dictionary.com defines frustrate as to make plans, efforts, etc. worthless or of no avail; to defeat or nullify:
I have been frustrated because the plans that I had are not working out the way that I thought that they would. The plans were to work on this project and let it take me to the next level in my field. That has not happened.
In situations like this we are forced to look at our state of being and try to understand why we are there. When times like this come I do not like to beat around the bush so I look at myself first. I find when I do that I usually do not need to look any further.
What could I have done to communicated better with those I work with. If I would have done this I would not have been pulled in so many directions that were opposite of the original goal. I could of calmly and politely gotten the parties involved and setup a game plan. I did not do this.
I could have also asked God what I should do. How many times do we travel down a road by ourselves and then wonder why we are all alone. Six months ago I really was not in touch with God or at the level I am today. Now I am trying to find His way in things and follow it. That is on me.
I have found that if you do not define your path in life, others will do it for you. In this situation I did not define my path, it was done for me. When it comes down to it I have no place to be upset because my inaction caused this situation. Other people stepped up and defined what I was doing only because I did not step up. Lesson learned.
So What do I Take Away from This?
I take away that I caused this situation so with God’s help I will fix it. I have to say though that my boss is really cool. He has totally backed me through all of this and has helped me setup time to work on “the project” once a week for a day from now on. This not only benefits the company but it benefits me.
I also take away that it really sucks when you are frustrated. You do not want to do anything, you are just mad at people. That is no way to live. I am not going to be like that any more.
I encourage you that if you have some area in your life that you are frustrated in to stop, take a look at your situation, find out your part, and fix what you have the ability to fix.
There may be some things that you have limited control over but you would be surprised at how powerful a little determination can have. Determination is what got you where you are. Determination will get you out of that place.
One More Thing
The bible says:
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12
When you are frustrated it can cause you to be ungrateful and/or bitter which are both an open door to the enemy. The devil will gladly step in through these open doors to torment you. Don’t give him that opportunity. Close the doors to him by looking at the good things in your situation and being thankful for them. This not only shuts him out but opens the door to God.
In my situation I had these positive things.
First, my company is an excellent place to work. I have had 3 weeks off already this year and have another 2 weeks available. I can work from home any day of the week I want. I come and go as I please. Oh, and have I mentioned the kitchen? I am talking about the one that is stacked with food, snacks, and soda – and it is all free.
Let’s not forget to mention that it pays an uneducated (OK, I have an Associates degree from a BIBLE SCHOOL) guy like me enough money that I can pay all the bills, put money in savings, and my wife does not need to work. The company I work for rocks!
I have plenty to be thankful for (this is actually what has carried me this whole time). Today though I was able to nail down the core of the frustration that I was experiencing. There may be other things but I will deal with them when the time comes.
Life is too short to spent it unhappy. God intention is for us to live life and to live it abundantly! Get yours and live it.
God Bless.
7 Comments
I am extremely frustrated about my life. I have been a Christian for 24 years and know the bible inside out. I love God and depend on Jesus but I am still frustrated with how my life is going. I am at the point where I just don’t think my christianity is working for me. I am always behind the 8 ball when it comes to finances. It causes me to not be able to move forward because my situation never changes no matter what I do. I am working but really never have any money to do anything extra. I am a mortgage loan officer and see the income of other people all day long and it is causing me great pain because I just don’t make enough money except to pay my bills. Christmas is come up and I am dreading it as I do every year because it is an expense I just cannot afford and it makes me sad every year because it is such a finantial hardship. I need to purchase a car this coming year and there is no money for that but if I don’t get a reliable care I cannot get to work. there is always so much preassure finantially that I really get depressed over it. I am a massage therapist and cannot find a part time job to make extra money because I am 55 yrs old and there is alot of age discrimination. This depresses me too because I am willing to work extra so I can purchase a car and a wall goes up because of my age. I am not overweight or bad looking but I am 55 soon to be 56. Single with no prospects. My relationship with God is suffering because I just don’t believe he is working in my life and I am very frustrated about that too. Can someone say something to help me? I really don’t want to be frustrated any longer because I think it is affecting my health now. I am also frustrated with our government and it’s policies because in the long run it will affect me and make my life even worse finantially. My job is ok where I work and I am greatful to have a job but they do not pay well and actually suck the life out of you. I am down right scared about my future and feel helpless to do anything about it. What’s an old girl to do. I just hope God will not take his hands off this country and things will turn around. But first we must get Obama out of the white house and I think only God can do that.
I am sorry to hear that you are going through so many issues at this time. It truly is a difficult time for and a lot of people wondering where God is during these times.
Your situation sounds similar to how mine was about 5 years ago. Both my wife and I were working full time but still could not seem to make ends meet. We had 2 kids at the time and had a 3rd on the way. The house we had at the time wasn’t big enough for the 4 of us let alone another baby. I was volunteering at the church all the time and was hardly at home. I then had a business transaction go bad with a good friend and ended up losing his friendship over it.
It was at that time I took a step back because I knew that things were not working the way they should. I knew enough of the Bible to know that it wasn’t God who was putting me through all of this negative stuff so it had to be me. I then tried to figure out where the disconnection was between the way that God wanted things to me for me (good) and the way things actually were (not so good).
The conclusion was that I had my priorities out of order. God had blessed me with a family but I was not spending any time with them. If I wasn’t at work then I was at church doing something. My priorities where all out of whack.
When I lost my friend over the bad business transaction I took it as a sign that I could lose my wife next unless I changed something. Nothing was worth losing her. I ended up setting my priorities in the following order:
1.) God – direct relationship, one on one
2.) Self – Health, well being
3.) Wife
4.) Kids
5.) Job – Falls into caring for wife and children
6.) Church Attendance – Also falls into caring for wife and children
7.) Ministry – Volunteering
Once I did this and started to act on it that is when I started to see things change. We ended up moving to Texas and my wife hasn’t worked since and we have been financially alright.
Now I know your situation is a little different but I believe that principles are the same. I was really an unhappy person when my focus was on making money and having status in ministry. Once that changed to being the best husband and parent I could be then I became a happier person. The material things did not matter as much.
In your situation maybe you have family that you can spend more time with. Maybe you downscale where you live or move somewhere else completely. If you are truly intent on wanting to see things different in your life then you need to be willing to go anywhere and do anything.
Moving half way across the country to Texas was a big deal for me since I had never lived outside of Southern California. I needed the new environment though as it gave me a fresh perspective and hope for the future.
The other thing that I noticed is that when I made this change I got a whole lot closer to God and I started to see Him work in my life a whole lot more. I think I was more open to Him and gave Him more opportunity to do things for me.
I think the biggest thing that I learned out of all of this is that God is more interested in family and relationships then He is in money and status. It now seems the less I focus on money the more of it I have. When I get worried or consumed with it the less I have. It is weird how that works.
I hope the above helps. The important thing is to not give up and realize that God will never give up on you either. Change is possible.
If I may say….when I read your comment, you didnt mention anything about tithing. Do consistanly tithe 10%? What about give an offering? And two….what do you mean “you dont think Christianity is for me?” Third…What are you doing for God? Its not his will for his children to live hand to mouth. But what are you seeing to of Gods? Do you minister to him? Worship him…other than at church on Sunday? Do you see that the people of God around you are doing fine? Did you participate in Clergy Appreciation Month? Do you witness?
I really am not trying to be critical nor play a blame game. But Ive realized we have to look past ourselves sometimes. The enemy of our soul wants us to be consumed with ourselves and what we have and what we dont have. They’re just distactions. BTW since you have been a Christian for so long, have you ever been called into ministry? Sometimes when things aren’t lining up, its because there was something God told us to do, that we didnt..
I ALSO HAVE A HARD TIME FINANCIALLY BUT ONE THING ABOUT GOD HE’LL NEVER SEE THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN NOR HIS SEED BEGGIN BREAD BELIEVE ME i KNOW HARD TIMES INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT YOUR SITUATION JUST TRUST GOD AND i MEAN REALLY TRUST HIM GIVE HIM YOUR PROBLEM AND STOP LOOKING AT IT I LOT OF TIMES WE LOOK AT OUR PROBLEMS AN IT RAISES DOUBT BUT GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY TODAY AND FOREVER MORE IF HE PROVIDE FOR THE SPARROWS OF THE AIR ARE YOU NOT BETTER THAN A SPARROW OF THE AIR TAKE ON THE SHIELD OF FAITH AND LOOK UP FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD AND THE FULLNESS THEIR OF AND THEY THAT DWELL THEIR IN ALSO YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOU PAY YOUR TITHES NO MATTER WHAT GOD SHOULD COME FIRST
Wow, Dan your comments are a very big help. thank you for sharing with me. I don’t think that moving is the answer for me but I do know that not focusing on what I don’t have is important. I am a massage therapist on the side and I really think that God wants me to give it away to help others. I am searching for an avenue to do that like a woman’s shelter or drug rehap. I see it as a possitive avenue to take my mind off of what I don’t have or need and to help others that are less fortunate.
I glad that I could help. There is something about helping others that always seems to make you feel better. I think that is the way that God intended it. In fact, I think that may be why He helps us so much!
Dan, you just saved my relationship with these words. Thank you!