One of the lines in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” presents a great truth. Clarence, the angel who’s trying to earn his wings, asks God what is wrong with George Bailey. “Is he sick?”
“Worse,” God says. “He’s discouraged.”
We might define discouragement as a black cloud that hovers over us, stealing our joy and distracting us from the abundant life. We feel melancholy and can easily slip into a gloomy pessimism that eliminates hope.
Or we might go as deeply into the discouragement that we eventually develop the darkness of depression.
Sometimes, as in George Bailey’s case, discouragement settles in because of the circumstances of life. He was in danger of losing his business and going to jail for a mistake he did not make.
For us, discouragement might be the result of a financial setback, a health issue, a child who denies her faith or a host of other struggles.
Discouragement may be the result of how others treat us. Constant verbal abuse that tears at our self-esteem or someone who ignores us when we so desperately need to be cherished.
Sometimes discouragement creates a rut of gloominess. We feel we’ve struggled for so long, we can’t move forward and we don’t know how to climb out of that dark pit.
So what do we do when discouragement settles in? Can we pray for an angel, a Clarence, to come alongside us?
Yes, we can. We can ask God to send us encouragement through the presence of angels or through the kindness of other Christians, through the changing of circumstances or through a special song we hear on the radio.
We can ask Jesus to pray for us and help lift us out of our melancholy. His role at the right hand of God is to intercede, to remind God of what we need and ask for divine intervention. It’s okay to ask Jesus to pray for us.
We can talk to counselors and coaches who will help us find the root of the problem and formulate a plan to move forward. GateWay of Hope offers counseling, coaching and support groups. Check out our website for more information.
We can also remind ourselves that discouragement doesn’t have to win.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
- One day at a time, present the discouragement to God.
- Journal about your thoughts.
- Check with us at GateWay for ways we can help you.
- Stay in hope – don’t lose heart.
- Share the truth about your feelings with a trusted friend.
Discouragement doesn’t have to win, and we CAN live the abundant life in joy. Let’s all band together and fight against discouragement.
©2016 GateWay of Hope – Hope, Healing and Wholeness for Women