Frustrations

Life is full of frustrations. I'm convinced though that how you deal with them is the most important thing. They can be big things in our lives which totally change our direction or just part of the little day-to-day stuff. Either way, we can face them head on, learn from them and not get too fussed, let it get to us a little bit but move on ... or completely crumble. For me, it often depends on how good a day I'm having (or how much sleep I was allowed the night before!!), which path I take.

Abigail can get easily frustrated with things and is at the stage where these frustrations can be a little explosive if not dealt with in a way she likes. The photo below fits the story perfectly ... but was actually taken just after she ate some sour sherbert and just before she asked for some more!!

Last week I had my own little series of frustrations. Our car went in for a service and to have something fixed and the following day having spent a little more money than we would have liked, was even less drivable than it was when we put it in, in the first place! We subsequently found out that in the repairs, a bolt or screw or something hadn't been tightened properly ... but in reality, involved us ringing round friends so we could borrow a car to collect my mum from the airport at the last minute!

Our weekly trip to the library wasn't straight forward either. There was a charge on my account from a library error which was meant to have been removed a week before and was still there and  then three books which I had returned the previous week and were actually sitting on the shelves in the library but were still on my account. Just an added something that with two little munchkins in tow you don't want to have to deal with!

The day my mum was due to arrive our tumble dryer also stopped working, something we use regularly. With no washing-line option in the summer or radiator option in the winter, it is integral to the daily comings and goings of our house! Thankfully with the help of a friend it was as I suspected just a fuse and actually in the house electrics and nothing to do with the machine itself! And bonus, free to sort out!

While each of these incidences were pretty minor in the big scheme of things, they came at an inconvenient time and were one on top of the other. Thankfully each was resolved quite easily and  with the help of good friends who have been placed in our lives while we're here! There were times when I really had to make a conscious effort not to get frustrated by it all and on at least one occasion I called Mark just to say 'Arrrggggghhhhh' to another adult!

As missionaries I have come across times when people think we're superhuman or super spiritual and that the little things don't phase us so much because we have a hotline to God. Well, newsflash ... that's not the reality of the situation! We are just ordinary people and the little and big frustrations get to us too and no, we don't always handle them very well either! We get the privilege of learning through each experience just like everybody else and relying on God not to mess it all up in the process!