I think it is safe to say that all of us, at one time or another, will experience some type of discouragement. Discouragement comes in many forms. Whether it’s about church, school, friends, or family, discouragement is one of the tools that Satan uses to get us focused on something other than God. This is dangerous to us. God is meant to be the main focus of our lives, so any time we put that focus onto something (or someone) else we are in dangerous territory. Merriam-Webster defines discouragement in the following ways:
Discouragement:
noun
· the act of making something less likely to happen or of making people less likely to do something
· a feeling of having lost hope or confidence
Although the above definitions adequately explain what discouragement is, I thought I would share another definition of discouragement I’ve heard recently. It was said that discouragement comes from unmet expectations. I think that is, perhaps, the best way I have heard discouragement defined.
Discouragement is the feeling that results from our unmet expectations.
I know from experience, that it is so easy to get caught up planning out how our lives will go, even down to the small details such as what we will eat for dinner. These plans for our lives tend to turn into expectations.
- We also come up with expectations of other people and other things.
- We expect that a friend will immediately correct a problem in his/her life as soon as we tell them that he/she might be in the wrong about something.
- We expect that the church will strive for unity at ALL times and will be fruitful in that attempt.
- We expect that every member of the church has the same expectation of unity and will be consistently living in a manner that strives to promote unity.
- We expect that once we pick a major or decide on a job we will be able to rest easy about the decision we’ve made.
- We expect that we will have a nice little family with a nice little house soon after we get done with school.
The list could continue with example after example of times that it’s so easy to build up a picture of how different scenarios will go, only to find them being dashed to the ground as things don’t follow that nice plan we’ve constructed. My expectations go unmet. Your expectations go unmet. This can lead to times of loneliness, times of irritation, and times of questioning if we should continue to put forth effort in the relationships and activities around us.
But, don’t get discouraged about all of those expectations yet!
God knew these times would come and left us plenty of reasons to have hope.
“‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.'” Isaiah 41:10 NLT
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.'” Jeremiah 29: 11-13 NLT
“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NLT
Those verses are just a smidgeon of what God says to us that reminds us to remain steadfast in our hope. The old saying that, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” applies to the fulfillment of our expectations as well. I think sometimes we allow ourselves to only count the immediate fulfillment of our over-arching “big” expectations as successes. It is very easy to forget that the “small” victories are just as important as the “big” ones. In Jeremiah, God said that if we look for Him wholeheartedly, we WILL find Him. I think one of these ways to look for God is to look for Him to move in both “big” and “small” ways. We aren’t always capable of seeing the big picture of what God is doing in our lives, but we can see the day-to-day victories that are being won. When we take time to do this, we WILL see God. In my example about the church seeking unity all the time, every time one person steps out of his/her comfort zone to talk to a visitor a new friendship is formed… and that is a step toward creating a more unified church. This gives us hope. Another example I gave involved a friend doing something that cannot be considered wise. Although he/she may not take my words and put them into action immediately, I can see a victory in the fact that he/she was at least willing to listen to the things I felt God was leading me to say. These “little” victories are evidence that although God may not fulfill our expectations exactly when and how we picture them, He is still moving in incredible ways to achieve the perfect plan He has for our lives.
God is Sovereign Over Our Expectations
In John 16, Jesus said,
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT
God gives us victories all the time as we strive to live intentional lives of building God’s kingdom. Those victories allow us to say that we are truly blessed beyond discouragement.
Kailyn Brinyark
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