FRUSTRATION

“I say to the Lord, ‘it is quite vexing to have to wait.’ Like a woman who is pregnant but not yet due and begins to experience the frustration in her third trimester of wanting to ‘get this baby out’ am I in frustration wanting God’s promises to be fulfilled. Regardless of the frustration and regardless if others can understand the frustration. The expecting mother must wait till the appointed time. And when that time has arrived she must endure through pain one last time for whatever length of time, till the promise blessing has come. Then frustration goes, pain subsides and joy remains.”

I am frustrated! My frustration others seem not to understand but how can they if they are not in my shoes or in my condition? Pregnant women know frustration even when their situation is one that is about joy, excitement and anticipation. I too know such a frustration like the impending birth of a long-awaited child. With that said, I now invite you Into My HEART.

Jesus spoke words that are so telling in their nature it can only captivate the human mind and rouse the spirit of those to whom hear them. In the sixteenth chapter of the book of John, Jesus conveys the labor pains of an expectant mother with God’s promises being fulfilled. What follows is an excerpt of that in which brings peace of mind to this frustrated man.

“In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.” 

“And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.” Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy...for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.”  

“Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.” (John 16:16‭, ‬18‭-‬22‭, ‬27‭, ‬30 NLT)

I have heard pregnant women say, ‘I want this baby to come out!’ Always it is with a measure of frustration. I have heard pregnant women say in their frustration, ‘it seems as if I have been carrying this baby forever!’ I did not understand that then but I do now. Frustration should not always be seen in a negative light. Frustration properly applied can have positive ramifications. A frustrated woman who is in her third trimester is anticipating the arrival of her baby. She is excited to meet the person she has been carrying in her body and experiencing life with for several months. There is a bond that has already begun with the expectant mother and her child she carries in her womb. Both are eager for the arrival. Both are experiencing the frustration. For what the mother to be feels the baby feels. 

However, this frustration is leading to something quite glorious! The arrival of the promise. When a woman becomes pregnant she is given an estimation and even an approximate time to when her baby will be delivered by her doctor. She is given a promise; the arrival of her child. The clock starts. At first this mother-to-be is filled with nothing but excitement. She may experience anxiousness even anxiety at some point especially if she is going to be a first time mother. Time goes by leading to the big day. As the the promise comes closer discomfort in her body increases in various ways. This discomfort leads to frustration. This frustration is warranted. Those around her unless in her shoes [having experienced what she is experiencing] cannot fully understand her frustration. She is waiting for the promise blessing. She is expecting the promise blessing. She was promised this blessing. Newness of life!

Any woman who becomes pregnant knows what they have heard from the doctor. The doctor is in the position to know when this child is going to come into the world. The doctor knows how the child is doing throughout the pregnancy. The doctor knows more than the mother knows, but the mother carries the child. Both doctor and expectant mother are in it together. 

The same applies with God and this man. I have heard God speak. He has given me a promise. I have carried this promise in me for quite a long time. At times it seems like forever. I am trying to convey my frustration, my excitement and my anticipation for the arrival (or fulfillment) of God’s promise to me. I said to the Lord in my frustration as I realized something that added to my frustration: I, like a pregnant woman have yet to go into labor pains. I am merely in the frustration phase. I still have more waiting to go! It is quite vexing to wait.

I said to the Lord in my frustration: I rejoice in you Lord. Even now I thank you. You have allowed me to have a relationship with you that I can speak to the Creator God who is the most powerful person there is and if he wanted to obliterate me for my words to him he could. However, from the beginning you allowed me to pray by your Spirit, ‘I cannot follow you unless it is personal.’ And so, you know my heart and that my words to you are not callous or defiant but personal. I can say ‘it is quite vexing to wait’ and you can know my frustration. Many are the men and women who are your children who do not speak to you on such a personal level and many are the men and women who are your children who will not know you personally as I do. Because I speak to you in such a personal manner without fear of rebuke.

God knows that He has made me quite the humble man. In fact, I said this to the Lord last night, ‘you have brought me so low I am a broken man. Not from sin but for necessity. So that you can make me whole.’ Many are those who share in the grace of God. Knowing Him in a very intimate way. They are the ones who have spoken to God in ways that seem defiant and yet lived through it. Why? Because God knows the hearts of men. Nothing is hidden from the face of God. He knows all and sees all and yet He operates out of grace where grace is needed. 

My God is generous with His grace. He is a loving God, but He should never at any time be taken for granted. He is also a holy God and one who addresses Him would do well to remember that, but not be in fear to address God in a personal manner. God is God. If he weren’t we would all be in a world of trouble with no way out! And so, I speak to God as a friend for He has made me such. But I also speak to God as a son as well, for that too, He has made me. Both friend and son have nothing to fear when discussing any matter with He who is a Father and a Friend to man. And so it is with me.

I am frustrated. Many are those who do not understand my frustration but God does. He has given the world the blessing of pregnant and expectant women everywhere to help the rest of us know and perceive that with all things promised there is always a work of time, a season of waiting, a frustration to be experienced, a pain to follow then the arrival of the promise.

I for one, want to witness the fulfillment of God’s promises because without His promises life as we know it cannot exist and will cease to exist. Therefore, what God has promised me is tied to life. Without it I will not experience the life I was meant to experience and any expectant woman and all mothers-to-be and those who are already mothers can understand and appreciate the level of frustration I am currently experiencing and voicing. 

Not everyone will get it. Not everyone will care. Not everyone will take the time to hear you out, but God will and God can also send into your life those who will hear you out, try to understand and be there for you when it begins to be much to much for you.

I thank God for all doctors and nurses that tend to expectant mothers-to-be and work in partnership with all pregnant women through their pregnancies and deliveries. I am now endowed with a great appreciation for all these professionals who tend to, look after and comfort those who are blessed to bring into the world their promise. I believe in God and in His promises. I pray, you too, will believe in Him and in His promises. Let us together, I pray, continue to anticipate, wait on and expect His promises to be fulfilled in their appointed time. Amen.

YOU ARE ALL LOVED AND PRAYED FOR.

—F.A. Lugo

Posted on: 11/13/18