“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Are there things happening in your life that are resulting in feelings of discouragement? Do you sometimes feel like you should throw in the towel? I think we have all felt drained and alone at one time or another. I looked up the definition to shed a little more light on the concept of discouragement. It means “to deprive of confidence, hope or spirit; dishearten, daunt.” In this post, we will talk about 3 ways that you can defeat feelings of discouragement in your life.
If I’m being honest, I have felt discouraged a lot lately. I have felt God leading me to do certain things – and I have taken the leap and done them (after a little bit of pushing back😊). I published my second book, From Hot Mess to God’s Best. As part of my contract, my publisher required me to purchase books and I still have a LOT in my garage which has been discouraging. In addition, God has led me to start an HR Consulting Firm and things are moving slower than I’d like. I know that it’s in God’s timing, but I can’t help but feel a little impatient – and yes, discouraged. But I am going to keep at it, with the hopes that it will grow.
We are in good company as it relates to feeling discouraged. I’m pretty sure that most of the people in the Bible felt discouraged at one time or another. Here are a few examples:
- Job felt discouraged because his wife and friends didn’t get it. Instead of supporting him, they ended up piling shame and blame on him for his afflictions.
- The disciples felt discouraged when Jesus was crucified (before the resurrection) as they had put their hope in him to redeem Israel (Luke 29).
- Peter felt discouraged with himself when he denied Jesus – not once or twice but three times (John 18)!
So, who is behind this sinister force of discouragement? Could it be – SATAN?! to quote the Church Lady. This is a character that Dana Carvie played in an old SNL skit, for those of you in the younger demographic. If you haven’t seen, check it out on YouTube. Satan has two primary tools — doubt and discouragement. He wants us to give up and quit!
Here are 3 strategies to help you overcome feelings of discouragement.
(1) Fill your mind with scripture.
Here are some Scriptures that have brought me comfort and encouragement.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
“Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
(2) Train yourself to “see” life out of two lenses at the same time
In Romans 12:2. the apostle Paul counsels us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. I believe that Paul is telling us that our mind needs to be trained to think differently than we may have in the past. Part of this training involves seeing both the temporal (life is hard) and the eternal (God has a purpose for this) at the same time.
Paul shares more about the temporal pain when he says he is hard-pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Yet he does not become crushed, filled with despair, abandoned, or destroyed because he firmly fixed the eternal perspective on things above. Paul didn’t allow discouragement to win because he knew that God’s purposes were being worked out.
(3) Have faith in God and his timing
I have to remember to have faith and that things will happen in God’s time. It’s not in my abilities to foresee when and how God will work things out. I know He has a plan for me, but maybe he’s not ready to unleash it yet. I will continue to take one step at a time.
“And let us know grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
I hate to say it because I think I have enough “hot mess” in me for another book. But I’m so tired of the self-promotion that you have to do so not going there – for now anyway. However, planning to continue trying to promote my current book and writing my blog. In addition, I will continue my efforts with the consulting business. This hopefully will set me up for the next step whatever that may be – in God’s timing.
REFLECT
- Is there anything in your life that is making you feel discouraged?
- What will you do to help you overcome these feelings and persevere?
