Discouragement is such a strange thing.
It can creep into our souls so stealthily….so sneakily….that, before we can even see it coming, it is there.
Stealing joy.
Stirring up despondency.
Siphoning away the ability to sense God’s presence.
Discouragement makes it challenging to be still and know, that He is God.
It’s rare to find anyone who is not affected by discouragement. Even the most positive, upbeat person can find their feet knocked out from underneath them, by the icy fingers of discouragement. It can come from anywhere, and in any form. School, finances, work, family issues, health issues, friendships, current events, social media – even church – all of these, and more, can be sources of discouragement. At times, discouragement may come from multiple sources.
I know this full well.
It has truly been an incredibly discouraging week.
Actually, this sense of discouragement has been steadily building over the last month. Work, health, disappointment, concern for hurting friends, worry over my crew, frustration over not meeting self-set goals – all of these have woven together to lead me down an old, familiar, worn path toward temptation to succumb to discouragement.
Yes, you read that right.
Temptation.
We read in 1 Corinthians 10:13, these words: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” Discouragement – or, rather, giving in to the despondency and weariness that comes when discouragement wraps itself around our minds and souls and threatens to choke out joy – is a temptation to sin. When we are tempted to embrace discouragement rather than fight it, we find ourselves on a slippery path towards embracing unbelief and doubt – which are also two long-time and familiar foes that like to dance on the threshold of my mind, just waiting for a crack in the door so that they can slither their way back in.
We are told repeatedly in scripture, to not lose hope. To not give in to what is common to man. Philippians 4:6 tells us to “..not be anxious about anything.” Proverbs 3:5 exhorts us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 that “We do not lose hope….For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
But…
We are anxious.
We do not trust.
We lean on our own, often-wrong, always faulty understanding.
We. Do. Lose. Hope.
We do all of those things, when we reach for the easier path of unbelief rather than the narrower, rocky way of trusting in that God sees and knows (Exodus 2:25), and that, even when we may not sense his nearness, he will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us with his righteous hand. (Isaiah 41:10).
The narrower path – the only path that leads to hope and joy – requires that we not trust our feelings of discouragement and despair. This is a tough thing to do, in today’s world where we are encouraged to welcome our feelings and let them have sway over all that we do. We rush for comfort so quickly, when things are tough. We engage in distractions, to avoid the work that relationships take. Addiction to pain pills is on the rise – in 2015, nearly 2 million Americans were reported as having an addiction to opioid based medication. (Source: Webex).
We’ve become very good at trusting our “feelings” and going with “whatever makes us feel ‘better'”…whatever “better” means.
That’s not to say that there are not times when comfort is warranted. There are most definitely times when we just need someone to say, “It’s going to be OK.” There are moments of weariness with the cares of life are so heavy that truly the very best option is to go to bed, with the plan to get up again tomorrow, and trust that “His mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:23)
But we – or I – so often forget that discouragement is a temptation to cave to unbelief and distrust, and so I – and we – must fight it.
Looking through scriptures on discouragement this evening, I saw something that I had not ever noticed before – nearly every single scripture that addresses discouragement is written in “command-type” language:
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. (John 14:1)
Fear not, for 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)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:13)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
…and so many more.
We reach for these verses because we find them uplifting and comforting…but, if you really look at the sentence structure, they are actually very firm. Directive. Commanding.
I think sometimes we skip right over that, and grab hold of the comfort words such as “peace” and “God is with you”. “God will guard your hearts” and God will strengthen, help and uphold us.
The comfort is good, of course. It is what we long for…what we need in those dark moments, but I think sometimes we rush to them, forgetting that there are things that we are called to do as well – we are told to not be frightened, when sometimes the situation is terrifying. We are told to not be dismayed, when sometimes circumstances are spiraling so fast out of control that we can’t see an end to the chaos. We are told to not grow weary in doing good, even when we are certain our wells are empty and we have no more to give. We are told to not let our hearts be troubled, when at times they literally feel as if they are being shattered.
It is not an easy road, this road of trusting in the face of discouragement and despair. And so, we must remember that, in ever single one of these comforting and assuring verses, we are called to fight to do exactly what we do not think we have to the strength to do – trust, obey, keep doing good, be courageous, trust.
Trust. Trust. Trust.
And, keep fighting to trust.
Keep fighting, to keep our souls well.
John Piper tells us this in this article that I find myself drawn to so very often, when we need to speak to our tears. His focus is on grief, but I believe the very same idea applies to discouragement, despondency and despair. He writes about the importance of believing and trusting and perseverance. We recognize and acknowledge that grief, discouragement and despair that cling to us are very real, but that we must fight through doing the tasks before us.
I will close with a section from his post; but I encourage you, dear reader, to take in his words, and the Psalm he writes about, by visiting his site here: Talking to Your Tears
And then, my friend, let both of us fight to break free from the shackles of discouragement by asking our God to help us trust and run the opposite direction from unbelief. Let us fight for joy and to hold fast to the truth that He is with us “…wherever we go.”
When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears: ‘Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed, sermon to be written). I know you will wet my face several times today, but I have work to do and you will just have to go with me. I intend to take the bag of seeds and sow. If you come along then you will just have to wet the rows.
Then say, on the basis of God’s word, ‘Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So go ahead and flow if you must. But I believe (I do not yet see it or feel it fully)—I believe that the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And your tears will be turned to joy.” ~ John Piper
