That's Frustrating

1 John 3:11-24

A hospital chaplain I trained under years ago offered this observation: You can have a meaningful conversation with anyone, anytime, but just responding to whatever they say by saying, “That’s frustrating.” It’s not that great an exaggeration. The point, however, isn’t to have a pat response to a person’s circumstances. The point is that it is a measure of the hunger we have for anyone to respond to us and our lives and circumstances at a heart and feeling level.

God already knows our hearts, our feelings. “God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (verse 20). The context of this writing is brutal persecution. The direction to lay down life for others, and to love after the pattern and command of Jesus – this was no pat response – but the beginning of the gift the Christian community would be called to bring to the world. That is to find a different way to respond to hatred than with more hatred. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a hostage in the hands of terrorists; I have no idea what it’s like to be in the midst of war; I have no idea, for that matter, the depth of frustration that may lie at the heart of the experience of someone I will meet today. But I do know – and hope to practice – that part of what my Lord calls me to do is to acknowledge that frustration as sensitively and genuinely as I can, and keep on loving when another’s frustration affects me adversely. Let’s each take a moment just to pray that it be so.