The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged~ Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
Recently, I have found myself fighting a nasty battle with the d-word:
Discouragement
It wasn’t one great-big-awful-thing that has had me feeling down. Rather, it was just whole bunch of annoying stuff that coalesced into a brutal case of discouragement.
The problem is partly situational: It’s winter and I live in Washington state. I have not seen a ray of sunshine in months and the vitamin D tablets I subsist on in the winter are simply not getting the job done anymore. I am in desperate need of some actual sunshine. Some other problems compounding that issue were a tense ministry meeting, my beloved dog died and I have a problem that affects me personally that I have zero control over. On top of all that a mean person said some hurtful things that hit a little too close to home and I had a hard time getting over them.
Sigh.
Okay, so, I totally get that none of my problems are truly significant. I have a roof over my head, a solid marriage, healthy children, a relationship with God and I have close friends I trust. In other words, all the truly significant stuff in is still okay in my world.
However.
Those facts did not stop me from wallowing around in my most negative thoughts and feelings like a pig in the mud. I spent the better part of a day eating my feelings and focusing endlessly on all the things wrong in the world.
Just as I reached the apex of my pity-party, I had a super uncomfortable insight into my situation. I knew at that moment that if I didn’t find a way to get a grip on myself I was going to fall into pit of discouragement and stay there indefinitely.
The longer I allowed myself to live there the harder it was going to be to get out.
Discouragement left to fester is potentially dangerous from a spiritual perspective. Discouragement is not a sin (thank God). However, it is a reaction to circumstances that can easily mutate into something darker and more permanent like despair or more sinister like bitterness (Hebrews 12:15). After my recent epiphany, I have come to believe that the key to dealing with discouragement effectively is to firmly grasp hold of the four following principles.
Understand that discouragement is simply part of living in a fallen world-
Admittedly, recognizing this truth changes precisely nothing. However, embracing the fact that EVERYONE goes through periods of discouragement does help put our feelings in perspective and it keeps us from buying into the lie that the universe is picking on us in a unique or personal way (John 16:33).
Do not fall into the trap of focusing only on what cannot be changed-
One of the truly dangerous things about discouragement is that it can blind us to answers that are right in front of us (Exodus 6:9). Discouragement transforms even super smart, really spiritual people into one of those annoying souls who always has a really great reason why whatever solution is offered no matter how practical, workable or wise the solution might be will not, under any circumstances work for them. Unless you want to be that guy (or girl) it is essential we don’t let the feeling of discouragement drive our decision-making or willingness to apply solutions to our problems. Instead find the one problem you can solve (no matter how small) and solve it. Solving that problem will encourage you and might even provide inspiration to solve another.
Find something to be thankful for-
Thankfulness alone will not magically transform an unpleasant situation into a pleasant one (sorry). That said, Christians are commanded to be thankful (Hebrews 12:28, Colossians 3:15, Colossians 4:2). Even in less than ideal circumstances (1st Thessalonians 5:18). I think God commands thankfulness because the act of offering gratitude to God takes our focus off our problems and frees us up to see possibilities that we were previously blind to. Thankfulness reminds us that there is more to this life than problems and trouble, it reorders our focus and helps us to see the good in life. The ability to see something (anything) good in a bad situation really is a game-changer when we are stuck in a pit of discouragement.
Trust God is working on your behalf in spite of what circumstances are telling you-
This is obviously easier said than done, especially when negative circumstances look and feel insurmountable. But believing the truth of God’s word, rather than what circumstances are telling us, really is the essence of faith (Hebrews 11:1) and it is how we please God (Hebrews 11:6, Galatians 3:9).
These four mindset changes will not make our problems go away. However, when we do them life gets a little bit brighter, God feels a little bit closer and our problems feel a little less daunting.
It’s just true.
