Why Do We Get Discouraged?

I'll start by saying that I tend to get discouraged easily. It's so easy to look at areas of your life that are lacking and say, "If I could only be able to do this or could only fix this area of my life." This is good and we need to look at areas of our life that need work but not to the point that we get discouraged. It's easy to look at others and see all the things they can do that we can't and all these character qualities that they have totally together and feel like a total failure. But the truth is we aren't supposed to compare ourselves with each other. In school when we did track and field and short distance running, one thing the teachers always stressed is don't look back because it slows you down. And it does. We are called to run the race and if we look back or turn to look at the person next to us, we slow down.

Another thing is that maybe if someone has something in their life all together where you're lacking, you might be strong in one area where they're lacking. I often get discouraged because I can't sew but I cannot let this weigh me down. It would be great if I could and the sooner I learn the better, but I'm not in a do or die situation; I still have time. On the other hand, there's things that I really don't mind doing. I've learned to enjoy doing dishes (usually) and for me cleaning showers and toilets is really not that bad. No, it's not my choice chore, but it's got to be done and I don't like dirty bathrooms. It's the same with character. I have to be honest that I do have a warmer temper under me but by God's grace I can work on it and change that. Even when we look at great men of God, they don't have it all together. King David was an adulterer and yet was a man after God's own heart.

So let us not be discouraged but run the race with perseverance and endurance and press toward the goal. Great will be our reward.