Finding Strength in Faith: How Turning to God Can Lift Us from Discouragement

Have you ever been on a space needle ride at an amusement park?

I vividly remember when I was younger going on the space needle ride for the first time. 

You’ve locked in your seat belt, and within moments you are slowly being lifted up the needle to what feels like you’re taken up to space.

Then the countdown begins.

We will drop in…

5…

4…

3…

2… 

And before it even reaches 1, and definitely before you expected...

The space needle drops you at the speed of light.

Have you ever felt like your expectations didn’t line up with reality? 

We all have expectations.

You might have expectations with your friendships, your relationships, your career, your study, even your relationship with God.

It is easy to face discouragement when your expectations don’t line up with reality.

Don Mondell wrote this powerful fictional story, 

"One day, Satan was having a yard sale. He thought he'd get rid of some of his old tools that were cluttering up the place. So there was gossip, lying, greed, malice, and more laid out on the tables. Interested buyers were crowding the tables, curious, looking at what they might purchase. One customer, however, strolled to the back in the garage and found on a shelf a well-oiled and cared-for tool. He brought it out to Satan and inquired if it was for sale. "Oh, no!" Satan answered. "That's my tool. Without it I couldn't wreck any follower! It's my secret weapon!" "But what is it?" the customer inquired. ”That’s my chief tool—it is called ‘discouragement'. With this tool, I can pry open any heart, and once I’m there, I can do almost anything I want.”

Today we’re going to look at 2 ways we can manage discouragement:

(1) Unmet expectations of the Present

(2) Unmet expectations of People

Unmet Expectations of the Present

You may feel like you’re not where you want to be.

Maybe you had an expectation to be further in your career by now.

Maybe you had an expectation to be married by now.

Maybe you had an expectation to be in a better place financially.

I want to encourage you to put your confidence in the character of God, rather than what you may be expecting right now. Like Joshua 1:9b, ”Do not be discouraged, The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”.

Spend a moment thinking about this statement:

“Faithfulness is on us. Fruitfulness is on God.”

It’s releasing & it’s grace-filled.

When we understand fruitfulness is God’s job, we surrender control. 

Unmet Expectations of People

I want to you think about the following statement:

“No-one owes me anything, Jesus gave me everything.”

I want you to spend a moment to think about the great things Jesus has given you.

If Jesus gave me everything, what do people owe me now?

We may be expecting things from people that only God can give us.

I want to encourage you today that we cannot expect that which we haven’t communicated with people, if we are facing discouragement with people.

Expectation without communication is a cycle of hurt, disappointment & discouragement.

You may need to reset your expectations with people to manage your discouragement.

Let’s imagine you’re an Event Manager and you’re running a concert.  You have the ticket line outside.  You have the foyer area.  You have the main admission area.  You have the VIP Room.  You might experience issues if someone who belongs in the ticket line manages to sneak into the VIP room. The expectation you have of this person may not meet the access you have given this person.

It’s the same with our expectations with people.  You truly have the control to reset your expectations with people.  Someone that might be at your “concert”, might need to move from the VIP room to the main admissions area, or someone you have grown in trust in the foyer area, might need to move into the VIP room.

Questions:

(1) Open up your notes app, or paper, and right at the top of the page what you may feel discouraged about with the present. Draw a line in the middle of the page. Then, write below, what would you say to this person to encourage them if it wasn’t you? Read it back to yourself.

(2) Do you feel you may need to reset your expectations with people? 

Prayer:

Dear God. Thank you that you gave me everything through your Son. I want to know you more in my situation, reveal more of yourself to me. I trust that your ways are higher than my ways, and you’re working this moment together for my good. Amen.

Work with the Author:

At Thrive for Life Counseling, Indya Peoples, LCSW, offers a guiding hand. As a Christian counselor, she skillfully merges her professional expertise with a compassionate understanding of the spiritual dimension. If you're seeking a supportive partner in your quest for personal growth, emotional well-being, and spiritual fulfillment, consider taking the next step. Schedule an appointment with Indya Peoples today and embark on a path towards holistic healing, where faith and mental health converge to create a foundation for a thriving life. Your journey to inner peace and fulfillment begins here.