“Disappointment is inevitable, but discouragement is a choice.” – Dr. Charles Stanley
We have every reason to be disappointed sometimes, as we are human, and disappointment is a natural emotion. But we do not have to let disappointment become discouragement, because faith in God makes discouragement avoidable. Do you believe the Scripture and the promises of God? Then you have a constant source of encouragement from the Holy Spirit, plus more from others who care about you.
The French word for “heart” is “couer,” and this relates directly to the words encourage and discourage.
Encouragement … means having “heart” put into you.
Discouragement … means having “heart” taken out of you.
In the Kingdom of God, no outside force can overpower the Spirit of God that is within you and remove all the “heart” from you. Your heart is Spirit-filled to be motivated and empowered.
But … we do get discouraged sometimes, so why is that? It starts with being disappointed, and that is natural and happens to everyone. But then … we have a choice … am I going to focus on the problem and “allow” (give my permission) for this disappointment to take some “heart” out of me … or will I lean into God and let him put more “heart” into me?
You will overcome a great hindrance to your faith and growth if you will accept the fact that … as Charles Stanley points out … discouragement is a choice. We see the obstacles and get scared, rather than seeing God and taking courage.
As Americans we have been somewhat conditioned to think that we can’t help being the way we are. If you think about it, this is equivalent to giving up control of ourselves and letting the world and circumstances turn us into what they want to. Yes, we have basic personality characteristics which remain with us throughout life. But the truth is that regardless of what we are like today, we can change by submitting ourselves to God and allowing him to transform us. God does his part and we do ours.
We can undergo this transformation by not choosing discouragement at times of disappointment. Jesus endured far greater disappointment and suffering than we ever could. So, think of him, as the Scripture says …
“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (Hebrews 12:3)
In times of disappointment we can catch ourselves and make a declaration … “I may be disappointed by what has happened, but I will not get discouraged, because my God is bigger than my problems.”
Look around. Sometimes you can see the discouragement in someone’s eyes or body language, hear it in their tone of voice, or sense it in their attitude or conversation. My tendency earlier in life was to think that the way to help them was to solve their problem so the disappointment goes away, and the discouragement is avoided. But if we are always fixing the problem, they are not learning how to keep disappointment from becoming discouragement. They are learning that God is not the solution, the “fix” is the solution.
This is not to say that I should never help anyone. But I do have a responsibility to ask myself, “Am I pointing people toward Christ or toward me?” Is there someone who needs your encouragement today? Take the time. Put some “heart” into them.
Have a blessed day!
Chaplain Mark