Overcoming Discouragement

This hit my email inbox from my friend Mike Olejarz this morning and I had to share it. It's another great perspective on the power of giving thanks:

We all have these kinds of days. You have trouble getting out of bed because you feel crummy about who you are. You come back from class, slam the door, and fall onto the couch in dejection. Your friends seem distant. You and your roommate cannot seem to get along on anything. Your professors do not seem to care. You say to yourself that if you did not have bad hair, acne, disappointment and rejection, you would have nothing at all. You wonder if you should call your mom and ask her to come take you home.

The ironic thing is that everyone goes through these lonely and depressing episodes. Even those who seem so carefree about life and declare they have life figured out will ultimately conclude they face times where they feel like the fifth person on a double date.

Those days, weeks, or seasons of inner tumult are hard. It is easy to beat yourself down and talk yourself into sadness. It takes more effort to discipline your thoughts, stay focused on the positive and possible, and believe in who you are. Society, pop culture, your friends, peer pressure, and advertising execs may suggest your body type is not ideal, your skin is lacking, your clothes are not hip, and your major may not fast track to financial success. But whose voice should carry the most weight in your life?

Whether or not you are follower of Jesus, there is someone to approach for help in those times. You are not on your own, hopeless, discarded in an impersonal universe. Read Philippians 4:8. It says to think about stuff that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable - think about such things. What are ways to apply those ideas?

First, tell God how grateful you are for who He is. You must remember the value God has set on you. Feelings come and go, but must not be allowed to define who you are. Left to feelings and circumstances, my identity and sense of security can be battered and bruised. God showed you mercy when you did not deserve it. You have a Savior, a heavenly Father, an Advocate, a Shield, Helper, and Friend.

Second, remember that you have access to God's strength. The real battle is not with people (even though at times they do a good job of making you think so), The real enemy is Satan and his fallen angels who want to destroy you. Read Ephesians 6:10-18. God's solution is for you to put on the armor of God, face the battle, and overcome the enemy by the word of your testimony and God's grace on your behalf.

Third, think about what you have to be content about: Your future is secure, your past redeemed, your present stable. Christ is your hope and you depend on Him. The people around us party to forget their troubles, while we party to remember whose we are and where we are headed. Contentment comes from Christ, not our circumstances.

It is not unusual to find yourself getting discouraged now and then as you battle through life. The danger happens when you do not stop it from overtaking you. Try not to allow one of those days to become one of those weeks. What is bothering you today? How can your faith in God make that issue not so big a problem? Who do you know that seems to know how to avoid discontentment? What can you learn from him or her? Think theologically. Every day you give to God will be a great day.