Wednesday, November 4, 2015

How to Deal with Discouragement


Here's a good, practical article about dealing with discouragement. It's written to pastors but applicable to anyone!

"When you attempt anything significant, you will face times of discouragement. It always comes with the territory. Since you’ll probably have many periods of discouragement, if you’re observant, you will probably notice patterns about how to best handle them. I’m still learning, but here is what I’ve learned so far and the steps I now take when I’m discouraged.

Go to sleep. Discouragement and sleep deprivation seem to go hand in hand. When I’m discouraged, one of the first things I do is commit to go to bed early. When you’re tired, problems seem to be magnified. When you’re well-rested, you can see them in their proper place. Like Elijah, if I can just get some sleep, I often wake up ready to go, rather than being paralyzed by discouragement.

Remember God is in control. Scripture is full of stories of people who faced dire circumstances during the journey and later found out that God was in control the entire time. When I’m discouraged, I remember people like Joseph who faced some discouraging circumstances but later found out that God was ordaining his steps and had been in control the whole time. I’ve found that when I repeatedly affirm God’s sovereignty, my circumstances don’t always change, but my ability to continue on through them does. Pick your favorite leader in Scripture and remember that just as God was with them and in control of their circumstances, He is with you."

Read the entire article by John McGee here at Focus on the Family's Thriving Pastor.

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