(By Pastor Taiwo Odukoya)

Phil didn’t have a good day at the office; her boss kept faulting her duties. On her way home the traffic was annoyingly slow and she suspected that her car was overheating. Just when she was about getting home, she had a punctured tyre. While trying to change it, she discovered she didn’t remember to get the extra from her vulcanizer the previous day. Now stuck by the roadside, she decided to call her husband to ask if he could pick her up, but discovered that her phone battery was dead. For a moment Phil thought it was just a useless day! Eventually a neighbour driving past recognized her car and came to her rescue.

Finally home, she thought there would be some succor from her husband, but it was the opposite. A heated argument ensued between them. Frank had equally had a bad day. So a seemingly rude answer to a simple question blew the lid off the top. She knew she was wrong and should apologise for talking carelessly to him, but she considered his attitude unreasonable too.

Phil thought many things were just not working well including her marriage. She just couldn’t put a finger on the problem. Two days before, some of her colleagues were promoted and she had expected to be on the list but her name was not. She was qualified, hard working and had been with the firm for over five years and, if anybody deserved to be promoted, it was Phil. Instead, the less qualified; her subordinates- were promoted above her. Two major aspects of her life – her marriage and her job - became issues of struggle besides the everyday challenges that never ceased. Daily, she got frustrated with not just her husband and job, but about life generally.

The truth is, Phil is not just a story, she reflects a most vulnerable part of our lives. And life progresses so rapidly that we can hardly keep pace with it; this is what in most cases, causes frustration. It erodes our spiritual confidence. It makes us think of series of negative options which hitherto we wouldn’t have thought of. As a matter of fact, frustration, according to the dictionary, is “an emotion that occurs in situations where one is blocked from reaching a personal goal. The more important the goal, the greater the frustration.”

Now, many things in our everyday lives can lead to frustration. And most frustrations are brought about by our own attitudes in situations that seem beyond our control, like the case was for Phil. Sometimes, these frustrations, results from our desire to be someone else; not being content with who we are or what we have. This is why Eric Hoffer says, “Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.”

The good news however is, frustration may not altogether be negative, depending on what you make of it. As a matter of fact, it could be a friend when we consider it as an opportunity to get better than where we are. Come to think of it, this is exactly what you should do now regardless of how bad your situation may be.

Remember David in the Bible? He became a fugitive in his own land, was hunted to be killed and had to feign madness in a foreign land to be accepted. Even his family (wives and all) was taken captive while he was away. What could be more frustrating in life than this? But rather than allowing the circumstance overwhelm him, he called for a minstrel (alludes to singing and dancing)– he worshipped God. He not only overtook the enemies, he recovered all.

What about Ruth, who not only lost her father-in-law and brother-in-law, but also her own husband. Naturally speaking, her situation will not only be frustrating but suicidal in most cases. But guess what she did? She turned it around and found hope in the God of Naomi, her mother-in-law. Her trust in God when everything seemed lost did not only restore her joy but got her a legacy unparalleled in history.

It was Bo Bennett, an America business man, having experienced some kinds of frustration in life, who said; “Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success.” When we increase our efforts to resolve a frustrating situation, the additional skills we develop may open up new areas for us. Thus our frustrating experience will have produced constructive results.

Frustrations then are in reality opportunities in disguise, they are times to discover our hidden strengths and ability. They help us to be thankful for to God in all things. It was Apostle James who said, “Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations….” and according to Apostle Paul, “All things work together for good….” There is definitely some good in every seeming frustration you are going through. Look out for it. Make best the moment.

Woman, you can make a difference.