Dealing with Frustration

Have you ever found yourself getting frustrated by another person? Maybe they did or said something that you didn’t think was appropriate. Perhaps they were being inconsiderate, thinking of no one but themselves.

We might even try to rationalize their behavior. “They’re probably having a bad day. Maybe things are really difficult in their life.”

Yet it still feels painful to us. We bear the brunt of their actions.

But we don’t need to do that.

I really like this line from A Course in Miracles: “Vision or judgment is your choice, but never both of these.” (T-20.V.4) Whenever we judge, we lose the ability to “see” accurately. What we see when we judge is the other person’s ego. And we see their ego because we’re looking from our own ego.

In fact, judgment is synonymous with choosing our ego.

Judgment is the source of all our distress. These powerful lines from the Course (lesson 301) help make that clear. “Unless I judge I cannot weep. Nor can I suffer pain.”

So the next time we feel ourselves getting upset for any reason at all, we can pause and remember, “Ahh, I must have chosen my ego because I’m judging this situation.” And then with a little willingness we can step to the side and instead allow ourselves to be a channel for peace.