Getting Ahead Of God

“You’re trying to do more than I asked you to do, and that’s why you’re frustrated.”

Yesterday, when I taught a Bible lesson to my two youngest, I had to leave the room for a moment. I told my 10 year-old to read two, short passages out of Genesis to her little sister while I was gone. When I got back, they were hollering at each other. My older one had started asking my younger one questions about the passage that she couldn’t answer. When I told them to stop arguing, my older one said, “Mom, she’s getting all the answers wrong!” And I told her, “You’re trying to do more than I asked you to do, and that’s why you’re frustrated.”

I had to explain to my daughter that her sister was getting all the answers wrong, because 7 year-olds don’t understand things like that yet. She was frustrating both herself and her sister, because she was trying to do more than I asked her to do, and she was expecting more from her sister than her sister was capable of giving. It was a lose-lose situation. And no amount of hollering or arguing was going to get her sister to understand something she wasn’t capable of understanding yet. 

In that moment, thought about all the times I had done the same thing myself. How many times I experienced frustration, because I was trying to do more than what God had asked me to do. How many times I had frustrated others, because I was expecting something from them that they simply weren’t spiritually mature enough to give yet. 

O Lord, may we not try to do more than You have asked us to do. May we not expect things from others , that they are not yet capable of giving. 

(Eccl 7:8,9) The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

(1 Thess 5:14) And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

(Col 3:12,13) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

(2 Tim 2:24,25) And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient when wronged. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,