Disappointments And Discouragements

Disappointments and discouragements of life sometimes seem to almost control everything about us. They somehow seem to ruin us. That is, they ruin our attitudes and our ability to function properly in completing other tasks. They ruin how we relate and feel towards others. I just read a blog written by someone that I have spent a lot of time with and care about. Everything they write echoes of disappointment and discouragement and ruination. For me that basically describes a life that is very much being lived unloved. It's a life that has never truly experienced or basked in the overflow of Abba Father's love.

Steven J. Lawson in his book, “When All Hell Breaks Loose (You May Be Doing Something Right)” wrote, “If we are controlled by the discouraging circumstances of life .... the people who do us in, the job that doesn’t work out, and the other struggles that seem to engulf us…. we will surely crash. But if we would keep our eyes on Jesus, then we will make it safely through the storm. Maybe you’re in a storm. God has a purpose in leading you into the storm. He has power to preserve you through the storm. And, He has a plan to eventually lead you out of the storm.”

You see it all revolves around how we chose to look at disappointment and discouragement. For example, as a young man, film director Robert Flaherty spent many months in the far north looking for iron ore and gold. He found neither, but he did shoot 70,000 feet of film in his travels. Someone encouraged him to edit the film and make a documentary, which Flaherty spent weeks doing. But just as he finished, a match from his cigarette dropped among the celluloid, consuming the entire film and burning Flaherty badly. His response to the disaster was a determination to return to the far north and make a film of Eskimo life “that people will never forget.” He did just that, and the result was the classic 1922 documentary, Nanook of the North.

What if he had chosen to quit and give up because of the disappointments and discouragements that he had faced? Not only would he have missed a great opportunity but so would countless others who have been privileged to view this documentary.

You see God sometimes allows us to enter into discouraging situations for the primary purpose of testing our faith. At such times we must refuse to give up in despair. Like Jonah in the belly of the great fish, we must turn to the Lord when our soul is fainting within us, trusting Him completely.

James H. McConkey wrote, “What can you do when you are about to faint physically? You can’t DO anything! In your weakness you just fall upon the shoulders of some strong loved one, lean hard, and rest until your strength returns. The same is true when you are tempted to faint under adversity. The Lord’s message to us is ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10).”