During my first two years of high school, I ran track. I wasn’t great at it, but a few of my friends were on the team and I thought it would be fun. 

One memory that stands out from track season was the terrifying realization that my mom wasn’t in the locker room after school to help me put my hair up in a ponytail for practice.

Mom had always just done my hair for me. She’s good at it, and it’s kind of challenging to put your hair up with one arm. I had never bothered to learn.

So there I found myself, a freshman in high school with no idea how to put her own hair in a ponytail. 

The first day of track practice, I asked my friend to put my hair up for me. She didn’t seem to mind, but I felt bad asking. I didn’t like the way the other girls looked at me while she put my hair up. It made me feel incapable.

I decided right then I had no choice but to figure out how to put my hair in a ponytail.

I got so frustrated trying to learn this new art. I sat in front of the computer watching YouTube tutorials and feeling like a failure. As it turns out, there are plenty of one-armed women who have figured out how to put their hair in a ponytail. I wanted to be able to do it too. I was annoyed by my own inability. 

I even ordered a special hair tie that was made specifically for people with one arm. It didn’t work for me. 

I finally found a YouTube video that seemed doable, and I successfully put my hair up a few times at home. It didn’t look great and it took me a bit to do, but it was secure. After school, I’d hurry to the locker room as quickly as possible so I’d have a few extra minutes to put my hair up, knowing it would take awhile. My methods weren’t perfect, but any new skill takes time and practice. 

Now, ten years later, I can put my hair up in a ponytail fairly easily—here’s a post and video that shows how I do it now!

The point is, I got so frustrated with myself. It’s easy to get frustrated with ourselves—and with the people we love most (especially when we’re trapped at home with them for weeks on end).

I get frustrated when I’m acting in a way I know I shouldn’t be. I get frustrated when Seth tells me he’ll finish the laundry and then forgets. I get frustrated when the technology isn’t working and my online teaching is put on hold. And right now, I get frustrated with being stuck at home on days I want to get out and do something.

The list goes on. 

But maybe our frustration can be shifted by a change in perspective.

• In that locker room, I was looking at my problem from the perspective of a high schooler who just wanted to be able to put her hair in a ponytail like everyone else, and wasn’t very good at it. What if, instead, I had looked at the situation from the perspective of a girl who was learning a challenging skill that few people actually know how to do? 

• When Seth forgets to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, he’s not doing anything I’ve never done myself. I forget to finish the laundry all the time! We all make simple mistakes.

• When technology isn’t working, maybe I should just be thankful we have all these online options to continue to connect with each other when we can’t be together in person. 

• When I’m frustrated about being stuck at home, I can thank God for family and shelter and for His constant presence, even when we are navigating uncertain times.

There’s always room for a new perspective.

There’s always room for a perspective with less frustration and more grace. And God, in all the grace He shows us, is our ultimate example of this.

Instead of being frustrated with our inadequacies and the inadequacies of those around us, let’s find satisfaction with who we are and what we have in Christ. 

God is enough to cover all of our not-enoughness. God is enough to help relieve all our frustrations.

Never forget… you are onederfully created by Him.

Love,
Becca