discouragement

When God prompted my heart to write about discouragement some time ago, I was left confused because I thought I had done so a few months ago when I wrote about being disappointed (which you can read here). However, over the past few weeks, God has been teaching me the difference between discouragement and disappointment, and I felt a strong leading to share it with you guys.

Disappointments and discouragement seem to plague the lives of nearly everyone at some point in time, some more than others. Whether it is at work, at school, in your relationships, at home, in your finances, or even at church, I am sure you have felt the burden of both discouragement and disappointment more times than you wish to count. I know I have.

Sadly, I believe disappointments to be an inevitable (and frequent) part of life that all of us have faced and will continue to face until we get to Heaven. However, God has been teaching me lately that
though disappointments in life are unavoidable, being discouraged following those disappointments is a CHOICE. 

Not just any choice either... It's a choice that the enemy delights in because discouragement is a huge distraction from the will of God.

If you stare at a line in the sand long enough, it will eventually start to look like the Grand Canyon. The same goes for our discouragement, because within our discouragement is nothing more than a loss of perception.

The more we focus on our disappointments, the bigger and more problematic they become to the point where we no longer see anything else that God has in store for us.

When we are feeling discouraged, it means that we are subconsciously choosing to wallow in our own self-pity and negativism instead of just shaking off the disappointments and moving forward with life into whatever else God has planned.

If you don't get the job you wanted, a loved one lets you down, or something goes wrong financially, do not be discouraged, just take that disappointment and shake it off!  *insert Taylor Swift reference here*

The bottom line is this: we cannot avoid being disappointed, but we can do away with the feelings of discouragement by choosing to do away with our feelings of negativity and self-pity. And when we do so, we can overcome the obstacles in life and seek out the opportunities that God has awaiting us.

"This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged! For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

Joshua 1:9

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." 

Deuteronomy 31:8