When Discouragement Comes Knocking

Disappointment and discouragement are often bedfellows – or at least siblings.  The first one often has something to do with people, and the other often has something to do with circumstances.  Both usually stem from unmet or sidetracked expectations, and expectations are more often than not our worst enemies.

 
I’m usually not discouraged, though I have been disappointed many times.  But lately I’ve been working through some life circumstances that have made it easy to go there.  Last night I was reminded of an old Phil Keaggy song about disappointment that seems to also apply to discouragement:

Disappointment – His appointment

Change one letter, then I see 

That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God's better choice for me

His appointment must be blessing
Though it may come in disguise
For the end from the beginning
Open to His wisdom lies

Disappointment - His appointment
No good thing will he withhold
From denials oft we gather
Treasures from His love untold

Well, He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller deeper trust
And the end of all His dealings
Proves our God is wise and just

Such wisdom for daily living in this little song!  When I think about changing just one letter of discouragement, I remember where my courage is supposed to come from.  It’s not even my courage – it’s God’s!  One of the verses God gave to me years ago is Deuteronomy 31:8 – “Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord will personally go ahead of you.  He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  This verse tells me that fear and discouragement can and should be overcome by the simple knowledge of God’s constant presence in my life. 

Knowing that God is always present with me – Immanuel, and trusting his presence above anything else I can see, I am able to find my courage not within myself but from God himself.  The enemy wants me to look at my circumstances; but God wants me to look at Him!  And he wants me to trust that no matter what it looks like from my perspective, what he allows in our lives is always for our best and for his glory.  I may not always like everything he allows, but I don’t ever have to worry about whether he loves me or is always with me as I walk through it.  Today I choose God’s courage in me instead of the enemy’s discouragement! 

Everyone Needs to Hear Good News

Last week I had the privilege of sitting down with a new friend and listening as she told me her story.  But the way she told it changed it from being her story to being God’s story – because she recognizes that God is always in the background proactively working in each of our stories.  Hers is a story of chronic and serious health problems from the day she was born that continue today; but her perspective in telling the story is one of God’s sovereignty and grace in her life.

All of us have a story to tell, but do we tell it from God’s perspective or from our own?  If told from our earthly perspective, our stories have the potential to sound self-centered and narrow.  We complain about the negative things that aren’t the way we would like them to be, and we take credit for the positive things that have worked out according to plan.  There is no room for God in the picture because we have completely filled up the frame with ourselves and our feelings.

But the same story told from God’s perspective becomes much more wide open and valuable.  Our story becomes gospel – the good news about God and who he is and what he’s done.  My friend didn’t leave out any of the details of her difficult times; but I never heard any indication of either feeling sorry for herself or praising herself, explicitly or implicitly.  The story was about God.

Our current self-centered culture with instant social media and other aspects doesn’t really help us to choose the gospel way of telling our stories.  Every day we are bombarded with pictures and posts that reek of human pride or wallow in human misery.  We are encouraged to share all of our feelings in the moment rather than to take the time to perhaps correct our thoughts by slowly considering a different perspective.  As a result, the good news about God suffers – even at the hands of well-meaning Christians.

  

Yes, the gospel per se is about the finished work of Christ’s death and resurrection in dealing with the separation from God that sin produces.  But God is active in every part of our lives beyond our salvation story – whether we recognize it or not.  If we want to continue to have a gospel story to tell, it is important for us to seek to look at every part of our lives from God’s perspective instead of our own.  Our salvation story is meaningful to some; but our stories of God’s presence with us for the rest of our lives appeals to just about everyone.  That’s because all humans face similar life circumstances, and showing God’s work through those life stories gives others a picture of what true relationship with God looks like.  God doesn’t just save us from eternal damnation; he saves us from ourselves every single day of our lives!  The first step is recognizing that truth – being humble, transparent, tuned into God.  Then don’t be afraid to tell someone you know who needs to hear a gospel story.