Discouragement….
Its grip is so strong. Its power to stay wrapped round your heart simply amazes me sometimes. We get knocked down over and over again and, try as we may, sometimes discouragement simply wins out.
That’s when we grab the remote, a bag of Golden Double Stuff Oreos, cup of milk and just dunk away, ignoring the pain that seems to haunt us.
Trouble is…when the cookies are nothing more than crumbs, the milk all gone and the shows that we normally love don’t even interest us anymore, discouragement is still there.
Never underestimate the power of discouragement. It happens to all of us.
YES – US!
Even Me….a happy little joy spreader.
How do you fight it? How do you get out of the death grip it has on you? How do you over come?
You fight it with giving, choosing to see the beauty in the ordinary and pure determination.
I know, you are already thinking “Marie…I’m not a half glass full kind of person.”
My response to that is you can be.
You can take action and start focusing on the positive around you, the amazing blessings that fill your world and the great things that bring a smile to your heart each and every day.
People are typically discouraged when they “feel” like things aren’t going the way they should be or the outcome is not what they desired. Discouragement comes when feelings creep in and then stand up and shout “look at me, focus on me” even though those feelings are usually not true.
It’s easier to feel the negative things, like:
- We don’t matter
- They don’t care
- It’s not the truth
- They always lie to me
- What does “it” matter anyway
- Who cares
- Why Bother
Etc etc etc
We should be focusing on the facts, not our emotional feelings that change with the tide.
Fact is YOU DO matter. You always have and you always will. YOU are someone’s entire world.
Fact is THEIR opinions are just that…opinions, and you will likely NOT change their mind, so move on.
Fact is the choice is YOURS and you have the choice to ignore the negative things you “think” others think about you.
Fact is Negative is easier to see and feel but being POSITIVE is a much greater force than you realize.
Fact is, we will always face discouragement, but we don’t have to “stay” and dwell with it forever. Face it, stand up to it and then move on right past it.
Here are a few things to help move past the discouragement that grips your heart:
- Surround yourself with positive people
- Surround yourself with the things you love. (inspirational quotes, pictures, uplifting music)
- Keep your spiritual life in check by staying schooched up close to the Lord. Daily Walk With Him.
- Give yourself permission to feel discouraged and recharge
- Move past it with confidence by remembering that sometimes failure is just a detour to where you are going
- Remember Failure isn’t final – you have the final say.
- YOU MATTER – remember this!
- Focus on the facts, NOT feelings
- Don’t focus on the fear, focus on The Father
How do you face discouragement?
What are some things you do to help get yourself beyond this?
If you’ve written an article on this, please feel free to share a link as well as some words of encouragement below, so that our readers can easily find you.
Thank you for your efforts in Spreading JOY and making a difference!
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People truly do care and YOU truly do Matter!
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I really needed this post. Thanks for letting God use you.
Evie730
Thank you for this wonderful post filled with lots of great advice. It is tough to stand up to it but with God discouragement does not stand a chance.
I wrote a post about problems & silver linings. The sky gave me the idea. It can be found here http://wp.me/p1hKSW-1fi.
God bless you and your site. Thank you for letting links to other helpful articles.
Michele Kearns recently posted..This Weeks Schedule
wow are you speaking my language or what. Your gift for writing and reaching out to others and sometimes it seems as if you even know just the perfect thing to write about. You were one of the very first people I met here on twitter and you touched my soul. You have a gift for helping others and you helped me sometimes I think, more that you can ever imagine. I speak of both you n Ang often, my bible is always near and you my beautiful sweet friend have forever left an imprint on my heart. Thanks and God Bless.
Mark Twain said he could last 60 days on 1 compliment..he sure knew the great power of small encouragements too. Another delightful piece Marie, especially about the detours of failure. Here is a link to some SoulSnacks for encouragement as well – GBU ~ http://www.soulsupply.com/encouragement0000
@Evie thank you sweet one. you always bless me so.
@Michele, thank you for taking the time to read and leave a link – i know many will enjoy reading about the silver lining! I sure did.
@brenda – you bless my heart. i’m so thankful for you and any encouragement has been completely my pleasure. thank you for keeping going, for getting up one more time when it has been difficult. thank you for being YOU
@Geoff – (soulsupply) yay – and thank you. i didn’t have time to go and grab a link from your site, but knew there was soul snacks on it. so thank YOU for adding here!! detours are usually the story of my life – yet, i don’t consider that a failure but so many do! i guess i love “exploring” and while it may discourage me at times when I’m not where i feel i need to be – i just enjoy some golden doublestuff oreos and then keep going!! 🙂
you guys bless me so, thank you sooo much for sharing and encouraging others
{hugs}
@spreadingJOY
Marie recently posted..Depression
How do you face discouragement?
I face it with Jesus. I know He is beside me and I know at times He faced it too. Then I ask myself what He would do, and I’m certain Jesus would pray and spend time with His Father. So in essence, i face discouragement with HOPE. It’s my faith and my belief in a higher Kingdom and purpose. It’s my TRUST in His will and purpose. If I dare to face discouragement from a world view, then I am lost and drowning in self.
The Lord is my strength, my Rock, my Hope and my Encouragement. He lives.
Humanity… we were created with a full range of emotions, by the FATHERs hand. So momentarily, in time of our deepest discouragement, we may even become tempted to look to HIM with blame.
More times than I care to count, I have felt like the “Little Engine That Could”… roaring up the mountain… with new found passion…”I think I can… I know I can”… only to find myself derailed and sitting on the side of the tracks. Discouraged, and even at times looking at the LORD, thinking… “Really GOD…WHY?” “YOU are GOD…YOU could take care of this”.
Yes. HE is. HE can. HE will…. in HIS time… and in HIS way.
Most of my discouragement has come along through things not going according to how I thought they would or should go.
Yet HE is always faithful… even in the painful situations that I just don’t get or understand… to gently return my focus to HIM… and assure me that… no matter how difficult it looks… how bad it feels… or how long and winding that road looks ahead… HE is there… each step of the way.
Marlo T. Wells recently posted..A Life of Spreading Joy
@Christine – thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts here. I asked you personally because I knew that you had been through a lot this year and I’m sure there were times that you simply wondered…why bother. It is our TRUST in HIS wisdom and will that helps us to keep going. thank you for taking the time to encourage others here.
@Marlo – thank you for leaving your thoughts here. I asked you personally as well because I knew that so many changes had taken place just in the last 6 months and i’m sure that you faced times of discouragement. I’m with you on how our discouragement is from what we feel… i struggle with that often. I want to give/do so much more and am simply impatient as far as timing goes.
thank you both for having an impact on those that are discouraged and will see this post.
you bless me
{{HUGS}}
@spreadingJOY
Marie recently posted..Prayer for Today
Great post Marie. I’m going through a period of discouragement. I work so hard all the time but sometimes I feel like I’m invisible. I know its not true. How do I work through this… I pray and fast. I listen to my worship songs and tell my father all about it. Just this Sunday I was so down, I laid hands on myself and prayed. I felt warmth immediately and my spirits lifted. It sounds crazy I know. My answer is prayer.
I can truly relate to every word you shared. Prayer makes the difference.
This was absolutely something I needed to read. It spoke to my spirit and I thank you for taking out the time to write this article. I am having a “bump in the road” and I try to keep myself uplifted with positivity and inspirational readings, music and positive people. Again thank you!
Some people see the glass as half full. Others see it as half empty. I say, “You gonna drink that?”
When I face discouragement and because I am a singer, I start singing every positive and praise song I know. I lift up praises to God and tell discouragement to take a hike.
Nancy recently posted..In Remembrance
@Carla,
I totally get that. we often pray for so many others and forget ourselves, but that is a must as well. WE need guidance, direction and to stay schooooched in close to the Lord!
@angela – :0) thank you
@ashfany – those bumps in the road are killers aren’t they? Don’t give up…. You are surrounded by great things!!
@nancy – I love singing! While I don’t do it very well, there is something freeing about it! You’ll often see me tweet sing LOUD! Love love it!
Thank you all for sharing and encouraging others here!! You matter soooo much!
{{HUGS}}
Marie recently posted..Grateful Heart
Marie, I love this post! You always write such encouraging things! You are such an amazing person and you truly inspire me 🙂
I’m thankful that you are encouraged. we all fight it, we all wonder why bother… we just can’t let it win.
thank you for being you and for how you bring light into the darkness!
you bless me!
Thank you for such a wonderful and convicting article! It is far too easy to let what others think about us, or what we cannot do, influence us, and a post like this is such a source of JOY!
Keep them coming!
Jonathan
The negative is easier to see and communicate. We don’t have to teach kids to be negative.
it’s not always easy – but day by day we can face the discouragement that tries to stop us and work past it and become better in the end.
thanks for taking the time to read, comment and share this!!
{{HUGS}}
@spreadingJOY
First of all how did you know that I ate double stuffed Oreos?? ha ha just kidding. I’ve been recently following you on Twitter and just read this article what a great inspiration!!! I myself am in a period of discouragement and I get so caught up in the feelings and I try to get happy from the outside in, instead of letting God fill me from the inside out. It’s sometime so easy to get frustrated and discouraged for me, but I need to remember that is what the enemy wants.
Thanks for all you do and we share similar stories with our daughters…. mine has been through a lot also and we still have a major surgery coming in the next 2 years.
Thanks and God bless,
Charlie
thank you charlie – i appreciate knowing there is an oreo lover close by. 🙂 thank you for taking the time to read and respond to this article. Trouble with getting “happy from the outside” is that it is only temporary. it, like troubles, comes in waves. Gods joy, Gods love and Gods strength is the only thing that can keep us going.
may i ask – what is your twitter handle? i pray for great healing for her, wisdom for doctors and grace for you for your daughters upcoming dr. visits and surgery.
Thanks for this very encouraging article, Marie! You are so right with the items you list to help us overcome discouragement. Thank you for always being an advocate for JOY and spreading that to so many as well! Continued blessings to you!!