July 16, 2017
The Trap of
Discouragement
Habakkuk 1:2
"O Lord, how
long shall I cry for help,
and
you will not hear?
Or cry to
you “Violence!”
and you will not save?”
Do you feel stuck in discouragement? If so,
you are not alone.
At some point everyone experiences dashed
hopes. Disappointment--an emotional response to a failed expectation--is the
normal initial reaction. But allowed to linger, it can turn into
discouragement, which hovers like a dense cloud. When that’s the case, there is
no sense of joy or contentment, no matter what you do.
The circumstances that trigger these
emotions may be unavoidable, but the way we respond is a choice. We can either
let sadness overwhelm our souls or face the situation with courage and bring it
before the One who can help us.
Living in discouragement will divide the
mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides our pain. Then as anger
becomes habitual, we’ll look for someone to blame--whether God, people around
us, or ourself.
Frustration that isn’t handled well may
develop into depression, which in turn can estrange us from others--people do
not enjoy the company of someone who’s bitter and defeated. This isolation
leads to a low self-esteem. Finally, in a fog of discouragement, we can make
poor decisions based on crushed emotions instead of truth. Obviously, choosing
this self-destructive path is not God’s best for our lives.
Though we’ll all face disappointment from
time to time, believers are not to wallow in it. Instead, God wants us to trust
Him with everything--even our unmet expectations and deepest sadnesses. Remember, there is divine purpose for everything
He allows to touch His children’s lives (Rom. 8:28).