Frazzle

What is frazzle?  The American Heritage Dictionary says the following about Frazzle: 1. To wear away along the edges; fray. 2. To exhaust physically or emotionally. 1. A frayed or tattered condition. 2. A condition of exhaustion. I have felt frazzled. I know I have had that frayed, tattered look frequently in my life. You see, this life here on planet Earth in the good old USA can just frazzle us to death! 

Even life apart from difficulty and tragedy can get really complicated. I remember feeling quite a bit of frazzle in the ordinary day-to-day of raising three children. Conflict/bickering, schedules, social commitments, drama, demands, and even serving can pile up in our lives, and we can easily move into a state of robotic, exhausted existence as parents. God never meant for us to live in a state of frantic, frazzled frustration. His word says in Is 30:15, 18 "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it...Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" 

Five words in those two verses give me the key to avoiding daily frazzle at any stage of life: Repentance, Rest, Quietness, Trust, and Waiting. I believe they are progressive in that order as well. I must repent to find rest and quietness in my soul. With a soul rested and quiet, I have the faith to trust and actively wait on God to work in and through my life.

Questions for Soul Evaluation:

• Do I take time for daily repentance in my life? 
• Have I begun to live in the sin of worry, resentment, control, anger, or any other selfish attitude? 
•  Am I resting in the Lord by seeking Him in His Word? 
• How is my quiet time? 
• Am I taking time in to be quiet before the Lord or am I talking and complaining so loud that I can't hear His still, quiet voice? 
• Am I trusting in the Lord in all circumstances or trusting in myself or someone/something around me? 
• Am I waiting for God's answers when I seek Him about the frazzle in my life, or am I rushing ahead in my own strength? 

When I answer these questions honestly, and apply the truth of God's Word, guess what He does? He fulfills this promise, '"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."' (Is 30:21) I want to walk in the wonder and awe of His way, not the frustration and frazzle of my own way. I want God to refresh me with His Word and remind me of His ways. I want to be "the righteous that live by faith" not "the rattled who live in frazzle." I want to hear God say, "Blessed are you because you waited and you trusted." 

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