DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

BIBLE PASSAGE:
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning
within us while he talked with us on the road and opened
the Scriptures to us?”
(Luke 24:32)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been discouraged? It can take the wind out of your
sails and change your perspective quickly, can’t it? You might have
made plans and everything looked positive, but just when you see
your dream becoming a reality, something goes wrong.

The greater your anticipation, the greater the hurt can be, can’t it?
Discouragement can throw our thoughts into turmoil as we try to
deal with the devastation of our disappointment. We have questions
such as:
    What went wrong? How did it go wrong?
    What could I have done differently?
    Did someone else contribute to my disappointment?

Our disappointment can cause many emotions to surface (anger,
depression, blaming others, jealousy, confusion, perplexity, etc.).
Sometimes we can be discouraged by something beyond our control.
We may have lost a loved one; we may have worked to stay in good
shape, but we suffered a devastating illness. Sometimes it can cause
us to isolate ourselves from others as we try to sort things out in our
mind, and try to find ways to cope with what happened.

Now, imagine being a disciple of Jesus who was convinced that He was
a prophet. You have no doubt that He is who He said He is (the Son of
God). You knew He had an unusual power and He gave you a new hope
of redeeming Israel. When you chose to follow Him, it was exciting and
enjoyable to look forward to the redemption of your nation.

You are on an emotional high of anticipation, but then…He died. The rug
was just pulled out from underneath your feet, wasn’t it? Adding to your
confusion and discouragement was the talk about His body missing. It is
easy to understand why the two disciples were ‘downcast’ when Jesus
approached them.
    He asked them, “What are you discussing together
    as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces
    downcast.
    (Luke 24:17)
Have you ever noticed that when a person’s heart hurts,
their head hangs down (they are ‘downcast’)? This is a
good outward description of what the disciples may have
been feeling inwardly.

Where do you turn when discouragement and disappointment
hits you like a ton of bricks? Look at how Jesus responded to
their state of despondence. He talked to them about the Bible
and reminded them of what the prophets had said.
    He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how
    slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
    Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things
    and then enter his glory?” And beginning with
    Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them
    what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
    (Luke 24:25-27)

How did the approach of Jesus impact the two disciples?
Suddenly they realized it was Jesus with them. The fire of
hope was rekindled in them as a result of listening to Jesus
discuss the scriptures with them.
    When he was at the table with them, he took bread,
    gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
    Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
    and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each
    other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he
    talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
    (Luke 24:30-32)

They said their hearts were “burning within them”! That
doesn’t sound like a defeated and discouraged person,
does it? It describes two disciples who had found new
hope in the midst of discouragement.

ACTION:
So, where do you turn when your dreams are dashed and you
are discouraged? Jesus gave us the example to follow – turn
to the scriptures. It is more than just reading the bible, it is
learning what it says and applying it to your life.

Let’s say a member of your own family has disappointed you.
How do you respond? How does Jesus respond to us when we
disappoint Him? The Bible says that He loves us anyway and
He made Himself a sacrifice for us. He didn’t ‘give up on us’
as members of His family, and we shouldn’t give up on the
members of our families when they disappoint us. Instead
we should look for ways to encourage them and assure them
they are loved.

In times of discouragement, read the Bible and allow the scriptures
to melt your heart and rekindle the hope you have in others. Don’t
open the door for Satan to arouse all of the wrong emotions, actions
and words. Bitterness and anger not only hurt the other person, but
they hurt us as well. God loves us and He wants us to pass His love
to others; to encourage them and not to ‘write them off’ as a lost cause.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promises to be
with those who belong to You when they are discouraged.
You have assured us that You will be with us whenever we
walk through the valleys of life. We never know when we
might be blindsided by something that overwhelms us with
what seems like an insurmountable discouragement. But we
know that You will be holding our hand and walking with us
through the gloomiest times. Father, Your presence can help
us keep moving forward and to eventually ‘climb out’ of the
discouragement trench we are in. Thank You for loving and
caring about us, our situations, and for knowing our desire
to find relief from our sadness and discouragement. Remind
us often that You are with us and will sustain us even when
our discouragement seems insurmountable.”

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