My Anywhere But Here Blog

Aggravation is such an exhausting word to say — not because it conveys so much, but because it has so many different meanings. It can be aggravating driving a car, yet also aggravating just waiting on answers. And when something does not work properly, that can be aggravating as well.

Today I have been having an aggravating day because something of mine has not been working, and it saddens me when I have no control over it. I have also been trying to breathe through the voices around me, telling me their best solutions to solve all my issues — when their journey may not be my journey — yet they believe they are the authoritarians.

Sometimes I cannot take any more emotion entering my day, and then another bombards me, and I… well, it just becomes overwhelming.

I pray to God, How much more am I to put in my sack on my back that I must be forced to carry?

I am tired, run down, and exhausted — yet things keep piling up.

This is generally when aggravation rears its ugly head, so to speak, and I feel as though I just cannot breathe.

Deep breaths, I hear my mind whispering.

Deep inhales. Slow exhales.

Gently telling my inner soul and emotions to quiet down and trust that they will.

Not allowing aggravation to dictate what the next few minutes will be like.

So… I take a pause.

When I asked my Bible concordance to find definitions or phrases on frustration — because frustration has always felt like it walks hand in hand with aggravation — I also reflected on how deeply I was seeking pause.

It reminded me of what I was taught as a child in Sunday school:

Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

1 Peter 5:7 — “Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”

Aren’t aggravations and frustrations often born out of anxieties?

And if that is true, then Matthew tells us:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He is gentle and lowly in heart.

And then there is this beautiful promise:

Philippians 4:7 — “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts.”

If all of this leads to peace…

then maybe pause is the doorway to it.

Maybe the answer is simply to pause and trust that our hearts will calm down.

Maybe the things around us that stir aggravation are not meant to be carried so tightly in our knapsacks.

After all:

A pause is the action — the emotional stopping.

Peace is the result — the emotional and mental setting that follows.

A pause interrupts chaos.

When life feels loud or overwhelming, pause creates a boundary — almost as if to say, not today.

It creates awareness.

It restores control.

It allows us to move forward without being swept away by emotional storms.

On a physical level, aggravation takes a toll.

But our bodies find safety in pause.

And where pause is… so is peace.

To close tonight, I remind myself — and you, the reader:

“A pause is like stepping out of a storm and into a doorway. The storm may still exist, but peace is found in realizing you don’t have to stand in the rain to prove it’s raining.”

And perhaps that doorway is always there.

Not far.

Not hidden.

Just one breath away.

Sometimes we think strength means enduring the downpour.

But maybe strength is knowing when to step inside, close the door gently, and let God hold the umbrella.

Pause.

Because peace is already waiting in the room.

With gratitude,

Susan Beth Thomas

My Anywhere But Here Journey