Frustration : Our deficient view of reality

 

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

The gap between what we expect life to be - what, according to us, should be - and what is really taking place is the source of our frustration. We all do have a clear idea of what we believe the good life should be; we may not be able to verbalize it, we may have a difficult time explaining it to others but, within, there is no shadow of doubt.

If we know what life should be, then, the problem comes from the other side of the equation, i.e. to comprehend what is really happening around us.

How do we go about processing reality?

Well, we need a starting point... but, which?

In the developed world in general, and in the USA in particular, our wealth gives us the luxury to choose our emotions as the starting point; yes, because of all the advances we have achieved as a society (cultural, social, financial) we have grown to believe an incomplete version of reality, a version that begins and ends with us, with our emotions and desires.

With this faulty view of reality, we proceed to actively try to minimize our frustration, but since our roadmap is not accurate, we cannot reach our destination - the good life according to our own wisdom - and a new frustration ensues.

One would believe that this process of try and error would be abandoned rather quickly, right? Here, our wealth comes into play again, isolating us from the brunt of our mistake and giving us the luxury of continuing down this path, never questioning that the starting point may be incorrect.

Our wealth also provides another blinder, besides our emotions: comfort. Because of all we have, even when we fail at considering all of reality, we still can find a level of comfort that is unheard of in other parts of the world. And as we go through life, fighting that unsettling frustration, comfort becomes the replacement for what our hearts really long for.

To avoid this frustration-preserving approach to life, we must consider ALL of reality. We must embrace a starting point that is outside us and that is cemented in Truth. This starting point should also help us to describe better the deep desires of our heart, i.e. what we REALLY know is the good life.

This starting point is God's Word.

CONSIDER THIS

What is your relationship with Scripture? Why?