Frustrated.
“You’re letting me go? Why? I mean, I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. I don’t understand. I thought the project was a success?” Angela asked her manager in horror.
“Ang, it’s not you, you know that. If I could stop this I would, but it’s out of my hands. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be,” her boss Milton said with a heavy heart. “I’m hurt by this too.”
“Please Milton. There has to be something you can do. I’ve got a family to feed. Don’t do this to me. I’ve given you all fifteen good years of my life. What about all of my hard work in this company?” She tearfully shouted over the small conference room table. “Does any of this mean anything to you?!”
“Ang, I’m sorry but it’s out of my hands,” he said with a somber look.
Angela, went back to her cubicle and quietly packed her things. They allowed her to say goodbye to friends who’d become family over the years. The company had been laying off people over the last six months due to a poor economy. She never thought it’d be her. Why would she? She led many of the important projects, poured her soul into her work, and never gave anyone a single problem. After all, you’d think her efforts would have been rewarded, right? Not so in this case, sadly. With three teenage daughters who would soon be going to college, the news couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The sun shone through a few gray clouds as Angela took the often two hour drive home, which now didn’t seem as long without traffic. She stared ahead in a zombie like trance wishing it was all a dream. At twelve in the afternoon, most people were in the office or out getting lunch but she had just received her walking papers. Why me? How could this happen to me? God, I’ve prayed, I’ve been faithful and this still happened, she shouted in anger while hitting the dashboard of her car with her fist. The world now felt empty and void of all joy. She had no idea what she was going to do now. Angela was down on her luck; she was frustrated. It wasn’t fair, but it was life, and life doesn’t always play by the rules.
***
Just when everything began to make sense, everything crashed and burned. You’ve done things the right way, and it still fell apart. You’ve played life by the rules, and life still said checkmate. You’ve moved with intention, only to realize you’ve gotten know where. Damn. Life can be frustrating as hell. In these difficult moments, we feel paralyzed by thoughts of defeat that seem to flood our minds with fear, causing our breathing to become shallow. We grip our chest, hoping to stop the confusion. We push harder to understand how it all could end up like this. Like Angela, we ask God why. We understand difficult times are apart of life, but why now. The story above illustrates just how incredibly frustrating the human experience can be all of us, but there’s hope.
I’ve come today to ask you to lift up your head, you’ve been burdened by frustration as of late. This season won’t last always. Take a moment to think of all you’ve been through. If you’re here today, you’ve made it before and you’ll make it again. Let these words sink into your heart right now. Dig Deep Within and stand your ground. Don’t allow the voices in your mind to convince you that you’re through. You aren’t through. You aren’t finished. In fact, you’re just getting started. Hold on. Stay in the fight. There is coming a day when you’ll reap the benefits of not giving up on yourself. The best way to move through life is to keep moving forward. You can do it. Your circumstances don’t define you. Dare to believe you’re up next. It’s your turn to finally get all this life has to offer. I believe. Do you?
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