COMMENT SUMMARY: No comments received.
MY COMMENT:
NOTE: I hurt my back working on the house, and sitting at the computer has been very painful. I’m slow getting back to my postings as a result, and I’m sorry for the delay.
Things that annoy one person may not annoy another. Still, we all run into the problems of
everyday living. Following are some
examples of things that many people find irritating:
Barking dog at 5:00 AM
Leaking roof
Home Owner’s Associations
Car trouble
Backseat drivers
Traffic jam
Windows 10
Hillary Clinton’s voice
Plugged drain
Stupid boss
Snow on TV satellite dish
Skunk outside bedroom window
Loud TV in motel room next door
“Have a nice day”
“At the end of the day”
Long lines
Interruptions
People who disagree with you
Yeah, I know … picky, picky, picky. One thing is for sure though, and that is
this kind of stuff can make you really bad company when it gets to you.
Sometimes, we can “blow off” things like these when they happen one at a time.
However, if you are a grouchy person to begin with, if the “small stuff” comes
all at once, or if it continues over time without relenting, then it can contribute
to bad behavior.
Unrealistic expectations account for a lot of the upset
we feel when things go wrong.
We ask “Why is this happening to me?” as if we are so special
that things should always go well for us.
Or, we engage in formula thinking. “If I follow all the rules and do everything
just right then everything will turn out well.” Except, sometimes it doesn’t,
and we feel like we have been cheated.
One of the managers I worked for once told me that the most frustrated
and disappointed people in our organization were those who thought they could
get ahead by doing a good job.
A bad system will beat a good
person every time. (W. Edwards
Deming)
Life isn’t fair, and sometimes we lose it when some jerk
cuts us off in traffic. Regardless, it
just isn’t realistic to think things will always go easy and turn out
well. Sometimes they do, and sometimes
they don’t.
The prevailing wisdom counsels us to keep our perspective. “You can’t always control the things that
happen, but you can control how you react to them.” The idea is that our
cognitive processes (thinking) can keep our emotional reactions under control
if we are able to remember to do it. We
are also told to be patient, be persistent, take a deep breath, gut it out, try
a different approach, check yourself before you wreak yourself, get a bigger
hammer, do an end run (etc.)
We are advised of certain healthy ways to work out our
frustrations. I like to go fishing. Some people like to run, walk, or work
out. Others meditate or do yoga. Pets are nice. Staying away from unhealthy habits like booze,
cigarettes, drugs, and overeating make sense, as poor health can contribute to
irritability.
There is much that is helpful in worldly wisdom. However, it all depends on what we are able
to do in our own strength. Further,
there is nothing new in it. Most of us
have heard it. Some of us benefit from it. A very few of us are able to maintain it as a
lifestyle.
There is another way.
Jesus said:
Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke is
easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to
him and make our home with him. He who
does not love me will not obey my teaching.
These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the father who sent
me. All this I have spoken while still
with you. But the Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and
will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you. I do not give as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:23-27 (NIV)
I have told you these things, so that you will have
peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)
I struggle with aggravation, stress, impatience,
irritation, and upsetting myself over things that are just part of life. Each day I must put the old self aside and yield
to the Holy Spirit’s comfort, counsel, and direction. If I don’t, I bring unhappiness on myself and
those I am around. God is still working
on me.
We should not, however, feel we are the only ones so
afflicted. Even the Apostle Paul was
given “a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan” to keep him from becoming conceited. He prayed for it to be taken away three
times, but it was not. The Lord told
him:
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:2 NIV)
Put your faith in Jesus, and be filled with the Holy
Spirit. If you do you will find:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:14
NIV)
