Don’t Be Discouraged with Yourself

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”

—THOMAS CARLYLE

Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.

—2 Corinthians 4:16

Babies learn to walk by taking one step at a time, and while they learn, they frequently fall down. This process takes place over and over again until they finally learn to walk. If they became so discouraged they quit trying, they would never learn to walk. We may get discouraged, but when we do, we must remember everyone goes through the same types of things. These things are often designed to check our character and faith. Will we give up or will we get up and try again? The Bible says the righteous man falls seven times and rises again. You see, even righteous men fall. None of us manifests perfection while we are in fleshly bodies.

When God gives us instructions, He often only shows us one step to take. It’s natural for us to want the entire blueprint, but that’s not how God works. If we take that one step, then we are given another and another until we finally reach our destination. Many people refuse to take one until they think they have their entire future figured out; these are the people who usually end up as failures in life.

Even those willing to take these important steps one step at a time will make mistakes and have to try again. Those who get discouraged with themselves and quit somewhere along the way will live miserable, fruitless lives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If we say we trust God, we must trust Him all along the way. It is not about the destination as much as it is about the journey.

Discouragement is complicated because it comes with a load of other negative emotions. Faith, on the other hand, is very simple. We do what we can do and trust God to do what we cannot. This attitude leaves us free to enjoy life and is the attitude God wants us to live with.