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How do you deal with or overcome discouragement?
What is it? How do you define discouragement?
Do you have a personal story to share?

RZehr wrote:How do you deal with or overcome discouragement?

Great topic, RZehr! I always return to the Bible and pray with the Scriptures. Jesus surely experienced it as have numerous individuals in the Bible.

RZehr wrote:What is it? How do you define discouragement?

A loss of enthusiasm and/or confidence after a large failure or multiple failures. It brings up feelings of frustration, fatigue, disheartenment and loss of interest (unless you happen to be contrarian).

RZehr wrote:Do you have a personal story to share?

That would take hours to cover 82 years of multiple examples. Suffice it to say, yes I have been discouraged and yes, I find my heart again by praying with the Scriptures. God blesses us with renewed hope.

Discouragement for me is focusing on myself and circumstances. An inability to see the future and especially allowing the concerns in that control my mood and actions.

Slowing down, taking the time to really focus with prayer and Bible reading, avoiding things and even people(for a time) that I let trigger my poor responses; are very helpful. And also singing hymns with my family and others. Taking time to serve can be very healing and take my mind off of self.


Story...
A few years ago when I was quite discouraged my co-workers could tell and one of them tried talking to me to help.
He tried quoting scripture...
But he doesn't know any...
Seemed like maybe God planted in this person's heart to help me and his willingness to try even though he quoted incorrectly was helpful. Not because of the scripture but because he was willing to be vulnerable in those mistakes just so he could serve.

Discouragement, for me, is when it seems that my closest companion is failure.

Discouragement can be a tough one to overcome, but lately I've been looking at it from a different prospective. Failure seems to be my biggest source of discouragement, it's natural for humans to feel this way if they haven't succeeded in their task, goals, dreams, etc. But if you look at it as a stepping stone to learn and grow from to improve oneself, your next attempt shall get you even closer, and eventually you will succeed. You must never give up, don't think of failure as a bad thing; use it as a tool to learn and grow, keep trying, and most importantly pray for strength and guidance. If you can do that, you can do anything you set your mind to.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me - Philippians 4:13

I tend to get the most discouraged when finances get tight. I guess the thought of not being able to provide enough for our growing family's needs.

This year after we had to move/buy a house before we felt ready, it seems God keeps reassuring us that he has it all under control with the boxes of food that have showed up 3 times now, approx a month apart. Then we came home from Christmas in Pa to find a trampoline in our yard (and no, it didn't blow there). That kept the children entertained all during their Christmas break and let my pregnant wife have a little reprieve from housebound children due to the cold.

Just as this topic was posted, we had a Sunday School lesson were John the Baptist got so discouraged in prison that he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, are you the Christ, or do we look for another?

Just thought I'd share this.