Have you ever made a commitment to accomplish some sort of goal, and then you got discouraged along the way? Perhaps your goal was to lose weight. However, after starting well, all of a sudden you hit a wall. Perhaps your goal was to spend one hour in prayer every day. But, your days got away from you, and you didn’t find time to pray. Or perhaps your goal was to pay off your debt. Instead, several unexpected expenses came up and diverted you from your plan.
Discouragement can be a paralyzing emotion. It can cause us to doubt our ability—or worse yet, God’s ability—to accomplish goals. It can cause us to throw up our hands in defeat and say, “I tried, but I just can’t do it.” Discouragement can also cause us to do the opposite of what we were attempting to accomplish in the first place. Just recently I made a commitment to do a better job at avoiding unhealthy snacks while at work. However, a few days later while feeling discouraged, I finished a bag of potato chips and a bag of peanut M&Ms. What was I thinking?! My guess is that you can relate…at least to the part about being discouraged.
When I am discouraged, one of the things that brings me out of the miry pit is praise and worship. It is very difficult to focus on our amazing God and His awe-inspiring glory while remaining discouraged at the same time. If you are in a place of discouragement, put on your favorite praise and worship CD or even sing a cappella and see what happens! Gotta go. Time for me to sing!
