When Discouragement Strikes Again...

What do you do when you feel discouraged?

In my young Christian life, I've heard so many sermons, teachings, Bible studies, etc., about not allowing your emotions to impact how you show up in everyday life. The words I heard almost make me feel guilty for admitting I feel discouraged, and it has influenced how I show up daily.

I feel discouraged while I wait on God to do what He said and that I know He can do. Perhaps this is all just spiritual exercise, testing and building my faith...right? But it doesn't feel that way. It feels like a pit, stagnation, and discouraging. I feel like I'm stuck in a place I was never supposed to be in because I planned better than this. I did all the right things and outperformed my peers. And then, when things weren't working, I went back, gave offerings, fasted, kept serving, encouraged others, and screamed during sermons about having faith and hope ... what do you do when you are discouraged because nothing seems to be working?

I often don't write depending on my feelings because I never want you, the reader, to receive the overflow of my tainted water. So, if I don't think I have a word or one relevant enough for your reading, I don't write. But today, I thought about my ability to write myself out of discouragement, and perhaps you find yourself in the same place. So, let me not rob you of your breakthrough ...

It seems like my Christian acts aren't working. I've allowed the question to circle in my head: God, what do you want from me? Because I don't fully understand my season. I wish I knew what God wanted from me in this season. What is it? Submission? Faith? Surrender? Understanding? Discipline? What does God want from me? I've done everything they say to do, yet I've only experienced job rejection after job rejection.

I honestly don't think I would've made it through the Bible days when they waited decades or even centuries for one prayer point to be answered. I can't at all consider myself to be that strong.

However, what if all God wants from me is me? What if all God wants from me is to know that when He puts me in high places, I'll still come down low so that He may be exalted? He wants me to know I'm made of and, of course, for me to know Him. What if He wants to see my character and know that I have the character that trusts in Him even when it's hard? What if He wants to know that He has a daughter who won't turn to sin or meaningless things when life troubles come but rather lean into Him even more?

The truth is I absolutely hate my waiting season. It's the ghetto of all ghettos, 0/10; I never want to come back here. But the truth is no matter how much I've *figuratively kicked and screamed,* complained, cried, and tried to problem-solve, every day I don't give up is a day I get closer to my breakthrough. No day is wasted. What if all you needed to do was keep showing up? Even if today is hard. Even if you cry again, even if your attitude is all messed up and you don't feel like getting out of bed... don't you owe it to yourself, your future, and your next season to show up one more time?

I don't know the future. I don't understand the present. And I'm indeed still reconciling pieces of my past, but here's one thing I know...there's an Almighty God that is outside of time and sees everything. He knows it all. So when the Spirit of God whispers to the depths of my soul and tells me to keep holding on because my breakthrough is soon, I will do that.

Today, I showed up by writing this blog post. How are you showing up?

Don't allow the discouragement to win. Pick yourself up and keep going. You're merely days away from your prayer point becoming your praise report.

Why wait to be thankful? Thank Him now; the blessing is already here! Why wait to smile, laugh, and share in the joy of the Lord? Allow yourself to be filled with His joy now!

I think I know what God has wanted from me. Perhaps it's simply my acknowledging and understanding that all I truly need in this life is Him and Him alone. He's enough for me. He always has been, and He always will be. He is the completion of all my prayer requests. I have all I need in Him, and lack is nowhere to be found.

Pick yourself up, and allow your heart to resonate with this truth! Discouragement can't stay; only Jesus and the truths of His love can reside here. You are days away from experiencing the blessing you've been waiting for. Don't give up now! Your next season awaits.