Here is one thing that I am 100% sure has happened to you this year already....a pesky little discouraging thought has popped into your mind. Am I right?
It could be something small like…wow! look at the awesome new job her daughter has just landed, why isn’t that happening to my child..have I failed as a mum?
Or, you give something your best efforts, only to receive criticism.
Maybe you had some high expectations for this year only to have them dashed already.
You could have tried multiple times at something (like losing weight or applying for jobs) and you feel like you are getting nowhere.
Discouragement is a creeping, invisible emotion that starts small then as we dwell on our shortcomings and failures it grows into an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair IF we don’t stop it in it’s tracks.
The dictionary defines discouragement as: “a feeling of despair in the face of obstacles, or a state of distraught and loss of sense of enthusiasm, drive or courage.”
Does that describe you right now?
Or maybe you are not so much discouraged but doubtful. Thoughts of uncertainty are creeping in. Uncertain about your life, plans and future. Uncertain about your faith in God and in the people of God. Uncertain about what is true. Is God really loving and does he really care that much about me?
Or maybe you feel distracted, pulled into so many directions that you are dizzy and have no idea of what is up or what is down. You are drawn away from what is important and are travelling down paths that were not designed for you.
Doubts, discouragement and distractions carry a negative response, don’t they? We can become bogged down with them.
But what if… they are the doorway to something good?
What if… they are invitations to enter into something new?
What if… they are offering us a different position? one of grace?
There is a verse that is quoted often especially when times are tough.
Romans 8:28 “and we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose”
We have heard it quoted many times, haven’t we? But I still love it’s message. To me, it means, even discouragement, doubts and distractions have a good and positive side — I just need to discover the new enjoyment perspective that they contain.
This is a paradigm shift in our thinking. We can’t stop having doubts, discouragements and distractions but we can view them differently.
Instead of going down with them…I need to deal with them.
To open them up and accept the invitation to stand in grace in the moment and ask God for the “good” perspective.
There are many perspectives to a matter. Most of the time the negative perspective is shouting at our souls while the positive and “of God” perspective is the still quiet voice.
What if we handle our doubts, discouragements and distractions in a different way? Instead of stuffing them aside or succumbing to their enticements, we open them up and view them through God’s eyes.
Asking Him to show us the invitation that they hold. Then with eyes of faith we open the door and step into a new way of thinking, believing and being.
It’s an upside down world, God’s Kingdom way of thinking, where what looks bad is actually good.
Where joy is found in difficulties.
Where death brings life and peace.
Where power is perfected in weakness and we experience God’s love in the hard places.
Are you up for it? this shift in thinking? this stretching of our faith? this stepping out of the well worn path into the unconventional with God?
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