Feeling frustrated? Good
It’s good that you are frustrated. That tells me a lot about you.
It tells me that you’re not content with the status quo. It tells me that you’re a person with a sense of drive. It tells me that your person who sees things as they should be. You don’t settle. You’re not content.
As I work on my craft, my wife sometimes laughs and says, “You’re never satisfied, are you?” And I’m not. Life’s too short. There’s too much to experience. Too much to accomplish. Of course, I’m frustrated. I want more. Not more for selfish reasons. Not more for me.
I want to make a better contribution. I want to make a difference for the Kingdom. I want to see things move forward.
Forward progress does not happen without frustration.
Stop looking at frustration as a bad thing. Stop trying to put a cap on it. Please stop trying to tame it. Lean into it. Use your frustration as fuel.
In seminary, Dr. Howard Hendricks would give us challenging homework assignments that stretched our thinking as well as our abilities. Once we came back to class, he would ask, “Gentlemen are you sufficiently frustrated?” We would reply with a collective, “Yes”. That’s when he would smile and say, “good, you’re learning.”
That’s when I learn to put a high premium on frustration. Frustration will help you forge a path forward. It will push you past the common to the uncommon. Frustration is the forerunner to discovery. If you’re not frustrated, then it’s likely you’re not learning. If you’re not frustrated, you’re probably sitting in a comfort zone that ultimately turns into a danger zone.
Let your frustration fuel you. Discontent can be the driver of new discoveries.
