The pain of Frustration and Impatience
What do you see in the image above? A drain pipe. Technically, yes, you’re right. This is an overflow pipe that releases water from a full water tank. I had an altercation with this pipe. Want to know who won?
I was walking by this pipe after heavy rain and noticed the end cap had come off. Being diligent, everything should be in its place, I stooped down to put it back on. Now, I did not have this picture to refer to at that time. You may notice the far end of the cap is narrower than its base (refer to the red arrow in the image). This quick observation led me to believe the narrow end needed to go into the pipe. I was wrong, yes, I’m admitting to being wrong.
I tried twisting, pushing, squeezing and grunting to force the hard plastic to bend to my will. After an undisclosed number of aggressive attempts, I stopped, frustrated. I’d cut my hand so I put the cap down, maybe I tossed it. It was only then I said, “Lord, I know this cap fits on this pipe. Why can’t I get it back on?” After a pause, the thought (the answer) came. I was trying to put it on backwards. I picked up the cap, turned it around and placed it back on immediately with ease.
What lessons can we learn from my experience?
Using aggression and brute force doesn’t work and only hurts us. This is true when dealing with a thing, situation or person.
Overcoming difficulties and making things right requires patience and God’s help. Rather than try to fix everything by ourselves, we should stop and seek God for His wisdom. Invite Him to be a part of the solution, He wants to help.
The way to success often requires a different approach, thinking and perspective. The obvious way is NOT always right. God’s ways are often the opposite of our natural ways.
Closing thought
If something is not working, stop for a moment, seek God’s wisdom, wait for the answer and then proceed. I find it interesting that the excessive brute force of the water caused this issue in the first place.
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