Frustration

“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:17-18)

Dejection. Pain. Despair. Anguish. Disappointment.

A thesaurus is not sufficient to express all the words to describe the feeling I have over the latest egg laid by the Kansas men’s basketball team. Maybe you don’t care, but I bleed “Crimson and Blue” during basketball season. I love all kinds of sports, but if God made me choose only one sport and one team to root for, it would be a no-brainer: Rock Chalk, Jayhawk basketball – hands down. It would take less than a nano-second to decide. That is why things like Sunday’s fiasco make me feel so frustrated. What is it about Kansas basketball that can stomp the living daylights out of the best teams in the nation, then lose so consistently to lower level mid-major wannabes? Belmont in 2005; Bradley in the first round the next year; Northern Iowa last year; now VCU. Who even heard of VCU until this past week? If KU played those teams 100 times, they would win 99 of them, and yet they always lose to them when it counts the most – in the tournament. I guess that is one of the reasons they call it March Madness. It makes grown men cry.

There are many definitions of “frustration”, but the best one I have ever heard is: Frustration is the gap between expectation and reality. You get frustrated when you expect a raise and don’t get one. You get frustrated when you expect your spouse to meet a need in your life and they fall short. You get frustrated when you expect your favorite top ranked team to win and they lose to a team that had no real business even being in the game.

God has promised his believers an abundant life, a home in heaven, and rewards for service to his cause. But many of us as Christians have some unrealistic expectations as to what our creature comforts and tangible “blessings” should be in this life. God takes care of his children, and most of us have everything we truly need in this life, especially here in the U.S. Yet we ignore the verse above and instead of trusting God’s promises, we envy sinners all the day long. We expect to live the good life, and when reality bites us firmly on the backside, frustration sets in. It is part of life and understandable to a point, but as believers, we must re-orient our thinking. We can get frustrated at life, but we can never get frustrated at the giver of life.

The musician Asaph struggled with this issue, and Psalm 73 was penned from his frustration. It is one of the most powerful of all the Psalms for its raw emotion. In verse 3 he admits that he was envious of those who had the “goodies” of this world. Through the next several verses, he continues his rant of utter frustration against the unfairness of life. But then he comes to his senses and declares, “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” (Psalm 73:16-17) His frustration was tempered by a proper perspective of a relationship with God. When we consider the “end” of those without Christ, it should move us to compassion for their souls. Though they might “have it all”, without him they have nothing. While they expect heaven because of their riches or goodness, the reality of an eternity of frustration awaits those who have not trusted the Son of God as their Saviour.

As Jayhawk fans, we cry, “Wait till next year!” Missouri fans cry the same thing, but at least we have a chance. But as a believer in Christ, we have a true reality of an expectation of glory in the Son of God. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is, “…able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” There will be no frustration when the reality of heaven is seen. Our expectation will not be cut off. Secure your heart in his truth and find others who need it. Someday your expectation will be exceedingly abundantly met beyond your wildest dreams.