What is the antidote to discouragement?
Change of circumstances?
Getting what you want?
More coffee? (This was a close runner-up! I DO love my coffee!)
No.
As I've been thinking and chewing on a few thoughts this past weekend about discouragement, I first landed on gratitude and the practice of being thankful. I certainly had an overflowing, thankful heart as I was reflecting on pictures from this past summer, and they unquestionably encouraged me and lifted my spirit.
But there was something more...something more beyond the pictures and memories and the gift of friends and fun places and new adventures.
These people (my children and friends and family) are all gifts. The adventures and exploration are all gifts. Even the sadness and dissatisfaction and heartache are gifts.
But if my focus is solely on the gifts, I lose sight of the Giver of those good gifts.
Nothing that has happened this past year has been by my hand. God has ordained our move to Iowa, the sale of our house in Minneapolis, the purchase of our new home in Indianola, where our kids went to school (last year AND this year), the people we've come into contact with, and so many more things!
I may have been the "party planner" for my family this summer (you should have seen the enormous 4 month calendar I had on my wall chalked FULL of our fun summer plans...some of you have and can attest to this!) but God has been our Guide, our Light, our Good Shepherd.
He has been good. He has been faithful. His love has been constant.
And while His good gifts are very, very good...they are nothing next to knowing and savoring and being satisfied in Him.
Jesus is the antidote to discouragement.
His good gifts are just bonus.
And there may be seasons of fewer good gifts from God. When heartache and pain and despair are more prevalent than laughter and joy.
In those times, I hope I will remember one of my favorite John Piper's quotes:
"God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them."
So, heart, press on. Look deeply into the face of the Giver of all good gifts and know...
"that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." --Ephesians 3:16-19
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