It does not matter who you are or what side of the tracks you grew up on, discouragement eventually gets around to knocking on everyone’s door.  When discouragement is knocking on your door it is not any fun.  You are either coming out of discouragement, going into discouragement or smack dab in the middle of discouragement.  Discouragement is a reality for everyone and the really bad thing about it is it will wear you down!

Discouragement is a lot like a heavy dark cloud that follows you around!  When you find yourself in discouragement, you feel like the kid in the Peanut’s Cartoons, who always has a rain cloud over his head following him around wherever he goes.  It does not matter what you do or where you go, it always seems to be there!

Discouragement is going to come – this is the reality of life.  The question that you need to be concerned with, is this:  When discouragement comes knocking are you going to answer it the right way?

I’ve discovered that discouragement does not happen all at once!  It often comes in a little at a time and wears you down!  It messes with your thinking.  Screws up your sleeping.  And disrupts anything positive in your life.

There will be opposition to your courage!  This is really what discouragement is – it is opposition to your courage!  It will take longer and cost you more than you think, to take it on and take it out, but it’s worth it!

Don’t get discouraged because you are discouraged, simply realize that discouragement is a reality of living life in a sinful world.  Focus on the Creator rather than the creation and keep looking for the purpose that you were created for!  You will overcome, grow and develop because of your discouragement, if you handle it, rather than letting it handle you!

You can do this and when you do, you will be glad you did!