The 4 F's

February of 2005 I heard Joann Gilham speak at our Grace Community Church women's retreat at New Ebenezer and 5 and 1/2 years later, I still remember the F's she talked about. Frustration, Fear, Futility & Fatigue.

Boy do I remember them! I lived it today...

Starting the work week frustrated yesterday I let circumstances (aka the foot high stacks (note the "s" on stacks, it's not just one stack it's about 5 stacks) of files that I need to pull apart, scan and electronically file) overtake the truth of my situation - it doesn't all have to get done right away. I just need to concentrate on the most important and pray for discernment. Right?

Well, frustration morphed into fear that I'll never get caught up, let alone get ahead of the work piled up on my desk. Fear that I'll forget to do something important and that I'll make a big ole messy mistake. I forgot that God is in control & will always be in control & that in Christ I have His power.

And it was just an easy slide into feeling the futility of it all this afternoon when the day was about over and I'd managed to do 2 of the things on my to do list. When I do something, I'd like to think I do it to the best of my ability, but today I was conviced that the best of my ability wasn't worth diddley. Which in fact is true - my best ability without Christ isn't worth diddley.

Is it any wonder I arrived home completely fatigued? Just bone tired and in need of some relaxation.

"Life's Healing Choices" by John Baker, which is the study Grace is going to start in a couple of weeks has slightly different F's, but they still apply:

The Consequences of Our Problems:
1. Fear
2. Frustration
3. Fatigue
4. Failure

(Life's Healing Choices @ 2007 by Ricard D. Warren & John E. Baker, Howard Books, A division of Simon & Shuster, Inc., pg 18-20)

Thanks to Katie for the reminder that Christ is everything & to Peg for sharing there is "immeasurably more" for me than what I lived today