Discouragement: February 7, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2011

DISCOURAGEMENT

DEFINITION:
An act or instance of discouraging; the state of being discouraged; to deprive of courage, hope or confidence.

SCRIPTURE:

“But God, who comforts those that are downcast, comforts us." II Corinthians 7:6.

"Fathers do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." Ephesians 6:4.

”Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

At some time or another we all have had times of discouragement. Discouragement does deprive one of courage, hope and confidence. There are many reasons given for being discouraged. A child can be discouraged when he cannot find good friends, was not chosen for some role hoped for at school, or because of a grade on a test. For parents discouragement is a result of a souring relationship, an unhappy job situation, money concerns for the family, just to name a few.

We learned early in our married life that there would be times of discouragement. It was our faith in the Lord that got us through these times. We put our hope in God and praised Him for His goodness (Psalm 42:5 above) even when things weren’t going so good. When you are praising God your attitude changes. We found that then you could look at the problem we faced as just a situation, not a problem. This is where the title of our book came from -- “NO PROBLEMS ONLY SITUATIONS”!

From the moment each of our children was born we were, as parents, committed to teach and train each child to live with a positive attitude. We were committed to provide the love, interest and support for each child as needed.

Children need encouragement. Children who are constantly put down and told they never do anything right will become discouraged. (Ephesians 6:4) It was important to us as parents to make sure that our children were involved in church, in school, in sports and with their daily "household jobs" because being involved in activities is an important part of a child's life. It helps them learn, to develop relationships, keeps them active and busy. Children need to feel valued and that they are accomplishing something worthwhile. Boredom often leads to discouragement.

When discouragement comes your way, look to the Bible for strength and answers to your concerns. God told Joshua to always be strong, have courage, do not be afraid and do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:9] This verse should be read every time you become discouraged.

Do something positive when you begin to feel discouraged. Eliminate negative thoughts in your life. Each day give something, like a kind word, to someone you do not know. David said to Solomon, his son: "Be strong and of a good courage." As parents we need to remind not only ourselves but also our children to be strong in the Lord. Our Lord is a God of comfort and hope. When we are downcast He will comfort us and renew our hope and we will be able to praise Him in spite of our discouragement. One of the best ways to brighten any day, if you are discouraged, is to STOP for a few minutes and think about the blessings, the good things, that you have and then thank God for those blessings. It is hard to be discouraged and praise God at the same time.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:6.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

SCRIPTURE:

Dear God, thank You for a new day and I ask for Your blessing on my life. Help me to not be discouraged today but to face each moment knowing that You are my God and that You are with me every moment of today. Comfort my family, friends and those that need a special touch from You this day because they are discouraged.