Reason #945
It's easy to get discouraged. It's easy to want to give up. Sometimes, it seems easy to give up. We find ourselves at a point thinking, "I'm never going to get anywhere with this," and we stop what we're doing. Or maybe we've done it many times before but it seems like it's going downhill, and so we're ready to let it go. We're ready to throw our hands in the air and admit defeat. Because when you're discouraged, it can seem like there's no easy fix.
I often get discouraged because I think it's me. I tend to personalize everything, and when something appears to have failed, or when something didn't go as I had hoped it would, I get discouraged. I start to think what I might have done wrong. I start to believe that maybe there's something wrong with me. And my instant thought is to simply stop. Stop everything. Just realize that maybe I'm no longer cut out for this or that, that I wasn't meant for such a calling, and I should re-evaluate. Maybe I am no longer relevant, useful, or useable. Maybe I'm not the right person for the task after all.
And maybe sometimes it's a failed first attempt, or maybe we've tried really hard to do things differently and we had a moment of weakness. You've been trying to hard to lose weight, but then you step on the scales and the number is the same. You tried to be careful with what you ate, but you had a stressful day and cookies made it better. And so you're discouraged by your lack of progress and discipline. Or maybe you've been waiting for that raise. You've worked hard and you've been patient, and you're certain you're going to get a good review. You do, but your raise is hardly noticeable. And you wonder why you're hanging in there. You feel discouraged and wonder why you're trying so hard when it's going unnoticed. Or maybe it's a relationship. You've made some progress, you've reconciled, and things are moving forward. But they're barely moving. You feel like you're getting nowhere fast, and as you think about how much ground you've yet to cover, you begin to feel discouraged. Or maybe you just had hopes and dreams for this desire of yours. Maybe you thought it would be a big hit. You've invested much of yourself and you're expecting to have some sort of noticeable return. But nothing happens, no return is yielded, and you become discouraged wondering if you'll ever reap anything that you've sown.
But we can't give up. We can't stop. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix. Really, there aren't that many easy things in life. But just because there isn't an easy fix doesn't mean there is no fix at all. God gave mankind a resilient spirit. Mankind, as a whole, does not easily give up. Some of us bounce back faster than others. Some of us are more determined than others. But God has given us a spirit of perseverance. A spirit that can endure and handle difficulties. And so while find that our way out of discouragement may not be easy, it's most definitely possible. Because we have to see the bigger picture. We have to realize that just because this one thing doesn't seem to be working doesn't mean everything else is failing. We take a step back and we look what God is doing. We search for the victories because, trust me, they are there. We see the progress that has been made, and we realize that the we are the only ones discouraged with ourselves. The Lord sees it from a different view, and praise Jesus that He doesn't give up on us as we so easily give up on ourselves.
I look forward to seeing the greater picture. To seeing what God is doing even though I feel like the wheels are spinning but they're rolling backwards. I look forward to seeing how He is using it all. And I trust that He will. That through the successes, and through the failures, God will somehow, someway use it. That He will give me direction so that I know where He's called me to be. and that He would give me a resilient spirit to persevere when I want to give up. When we hang in there, we're sure to receive all of the blessing in store rather than trading them in prematurely. So it's worth it. Don't give up. Eventually, you'll reap your harvest.
#945 - Because He has given us resilient spirits that can endure and persevere.
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while." - 1 Peter 1:6
I often get discouraged because I think it's me. I tend to personalize everything, and when something appears to have failed, or when something didn't go as I had hoped it would, I get discouraged. I start to think what I might have done wrong. I start to believe that maybe there's something wrong with me. And my instant thought is to simply stop. Stop everything. Just realize that maybe I'm no longer cut out for this or that, that I wasn't meant for such a calling, and I should re-evaluate. Maybe I am no longer relevant, useful, or useable. Maybe I'm not the right person for the task after all.
And maybe sometimes it's a failed first attempt, or maybe we've tried really hard to do things differently and we had a moment of weakness. You've been trying to hard to lose weight, but then you step on the scales and the number is the same. You tried to be careful with what you ate, but you had a stressful day and cookies made it better. And so you're discouraged by your lack of progress and discipline. Or maybe you've been waiting for that raise. You've worked hard and you've been patient, and you're certain you're going to get a good review. You do, but your raise is hardly noticeable. And you wonder why you're hanging in there. You feel discouraged and wonder why you're trying so hard when it's going unnoticed. Or maybe it's a relationship. You've made some progress, you've reconciled, and things are moving forward. But they're barely moving. You feel like you're getting nowhere fast, and as you think about how much ground you've yet to cover, you begin to feel discouraged. Or maybe you just had hopes and dreams for this desire of yours. Maybe you thought it would be a big hit. You've invested much of yourself and you're expecting to have some sort of noticeable return. But nothing happens, no return is yielded, and you become discouraged wondering if you'll ever reap anything that you've sown.
But we can't give up. We can't stop. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix. Really, there aren't that many easy things in life. But just because there isn't an easy fix doesn't mean there is no fix at all. God gave mankind a resilient spirit. Mankind, as a whole, does not easily give up. Some of us bounce back faster than others. Some of us are more determined than others. But God has given us a spirit of perseverance. A spirit that can endure and handle difficulties. And so while find that our way out of discouragement may not be easy, it's most definitely possible. Because we have to see the bigger picture. We have to realize that just because this one thing doesn't seem to be working doesn't mean everything else is failing. We take a step back and we look what God is doing. We search for the victories because, trust me, they are there. We see the progress that has been made, and we realize that the we are the only ones discouraged with ourselves. The Lord sees it from a different view, and praise Jesus that He doesn't give up on us as we so easily give up on ourselves.
I look forward to seeing the greater picture. To seeing what God is doing even though I feel like the wheels are spinning but they're rolling backwards. I look forward to seeing how He is using it all. And I trust that He will. That through the successes, and through the failures, God will somehow, someway use it. That He will give me direction so that I know where He's called me to be. and that He would give me a resilient spirit to persevere when I want to give up. When we hang in there, we're sure to receive all of the blessing in store rather than trading them in prematurely. So it's worth it. Don't give up. Eventually, you'll reap your harvest.
#945 - Because He has given us resilient spirits that can endure and persevere.
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while." - 1 Peter 1:6