Age of Frustration.
Does anyone out there get the feeling that we are living in an age of frustration? Maybe you're not like me, thank goodness, but it's easy to be frustrated with anything starting with the moment you get out of bed. I wish this coffee maker would speed up. What's with this microwave I thought 1 minute was enough to heat breakfast. And as the day progresses it gets worse--this traffic light is so long, move over slowpoke I've got to get to Krispy Kreme before the "Hot Now" sign goes off. And those phone calls where the receptionist says, "can I put you on hold?" And my favorite -- "How come the internet is so slow, I thought we ordered speed of light package."
Does anyone out there get the feeling that we are living in an age of frustration? Maybe you're not like me, thank goodness, but it's easy to be frustrated with anything starting with the moment you get out of bed. I wish this coffee maker would speed up. What's with this microwave I thought 1 minute was enough to heat breakfast. And as the day progresses it gets worse--this traffic light is so long, move over slowpoke I've got to get to Krispy Kreme before the "Hot Now" sign goes off. And those phone calls where the receptionist says, "can I put you on hold?" And my favorite -- "How come the internet is so slow, I thought we ordered speed of light package."
Some of my friends joke about this story, but the last time I went to BurgerKing, I asked the server if I could get a Whopper pattie fresh off the grill, rather than one thats been pre-cooked and in a warming tray. "No problem was the answer, but you'll have to wait 5 minutes". That was the best Whopper I had in my life! Hot, juicy, tasty. I told the manager and asked why they don't do that for every burger, he answered, "no one would wait that long!" It seems like the slower things go in our society, the more frustrated we become.
Growing up I had the joy of spending time with my grandparents in a little ranch house in northern California. While I sometimes saw that my grandmother was tired, she was never frustrated. When she got up in the morning, she would light the potbelly stove, we all sat around anxiously awaiting its' warmth to fill the air. She put on a pot of tea or coffee and we enjoyed that together by the stove for at least a 1/2 hour before anybody got out of their pj's. Then the steel cut oatmeal went into a cast iron pan, my grandma refused to use teflon, and she would always say, "it takes a good 1/2 hour for this to cook properly. We then enjoyed breakfast together, not madly running off in all directions, like our family does now--my son still has several cereal bowls in our car. My grandparents were married for 60 years and I wonder if unrushed mornings together had anything to do with it?
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus says, "Be not anxious about anything, for your heavenly Father will look after you." It's really hard not to be anxious in an age of anxiety. And how do you tell someone who's lost their job or who is sick -- "be not anxious". For me, when anxious or frustrated it's helpful to combine this passage in Matthew 6 with a verse in Isaiah 6, "and they worshiped Him by singing, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the earth is filled with His glory." So now, when I'm anxious, worried or frustrated about something it's like that traffic signal that turns from red to green, with the green light my signal to direct my thoughts to worshiping the Lord, saying "You are Holy", even for a moment. In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says that to get through any crisis or anxiety in our lives, we must have an existing pattern of worshiping God in "everyday occasions" throughout the week. This can be done at home, work or play. As discussed in the PURPOSE section of this blog, this is very easily accomplished with a moment of silence, worship song and the phrase ,"Lord you are worthy"! I think you'll find the result of doing this will be far greater than waiting 5 minutes for a fresh Whopper.
In the mind of Oswald Chambers life's highest calling is worshiping the Lord. Why not join me in reducing any anxiety or frustration you have in your life right now. Take a moment to listen to "I stand in Awe of You" , in the Worship Music section, close your eyes and say, "Lord you are Holy and Worthy."
Growing up I had the joy of spending time with my grandparents in a little ranch house in northern California. While I sometimes saw that my grandmother was tired, she was never frustrated. When she got up in the morning, she would light the potbelly stove, we all sat around anxiously awaiting its' warmth to fill the air. She put on a pot of tea or coffee and we enjoyed that together by the stove for at least a 1/2 hour before anybody got out of their pj's. Then the steel cut oatmeal went into a cast iron pan, my grandma refused to use teflon, and she would always say, "it takes a good 1/2 hour for this to cook properly. We then enjoyed breakfast together, not madly running off in all directions, like our family does now--my son still has several cereal bowls in our car. My grandparents were married for 60 years and I wonder if unrushed mornings together had anything to do with it?
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus says, "Be not anxious about anything, for your heavenly Father will look after you." It's really hard not to be anxious in an age of anxiety. And how do you tell someone who's lost their job or who is sick -- "be not anxious". For me, when anxious or frustrated it's helpful to combine this passage in Matthew 6 with a verse in Isaiah 6, "and they worshiped Him by singing, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the earth is filled with His glory." So now, when I'm anxious, worried or frustrated about something it's like that traffic signal that turns from red to green, with the green light my signal to direct my thoughts to worshiping the Lord, saying "You are Holy", even for a moment. In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says that to get through any crisis or anxiety in our lives, we must have an existing pattern of worshiping God in "everyday occasions" throughout the week. This can be done at home, work or play. As discussed in the PURPOSE section of this blog, this is very easily accomplished with a moment of silence, worship song and the phrase ,"Lord you are worthy"! I think you'll find the result of doing this will be far greater than waiting 5 minutes for a fresh Whopper.
In the mind of Oswald Chambers life's highest calling is worshiping the Lord. Why not join me in reducing any anxiety or frustration you have in your life right now. Take a moment to listen to "I stand in Awe of You" , in the Worship Music section, close your eyes and say, "Lord you are Holy and Worthy."
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