“Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” (James 5:9
Frustration with a person can easily spill over into complaining about them to another. But what does that accomplish – other than to create an offense toward them in the heart of someone else? Not only are we angry, but we have made another angry. They now take up our offense.
What is the better path to take? Firstly, bring your vexed spirit before God. Talk to Him before talking to anyone else, even the person who is aggravating you. While you talk to God about the fault of another He may show you a need in your own life. It may very well be that the “thorn in the flesh” you want God to deal with is the very instrument He would use to deal with you.
Complaining reveals impatience. We want to see a change in another, and we are becoming weary in waiting for it. But the person you complain to has no more power to effect change than you do. God alone has the power to change us. He may give you permission to talk to another about their fault, but even that may not make a difference.
Maybe, just maybe, God would use the glaring, annoying, habitual failings of another to train us to see differently, even as He sees. He would give us His eyes and mercy and patience for them. And as He does it is entirely possible that those around us won’t even know that we have a problem with anyone.