I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for spring to actually arrive in PA. This is the time of year that I struggle with discouragement. The days aren’t quite warm yet, the sun doesn’t shine often, and spring seems just out of reach. On days that I feel discouraged, I need something to combat those feelings.
The best way to combat discouragement is to be thankful. Gratitude defeats discouragement every time. So if you’re feeling discouraged or just down today, I have something for you to try.
An Assignment for Today
Get out a sheet of paper and write the alphabet, one letter per line. Then spend a few minutes thinking of something you’re thankful for that starts with that letter. You can get creative; some of the letters are harder than others.
I did this assignment this morning, just to see if it works. I had fun doing it; it tapped into my creative side as well as my gratitude. The ones I couldn’t think of, Matt helped me finish off. Like I said, you have to get creative. We did (e)xperiences for x. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’re just spending a few minutes remembering how good God has been. (Don’t mind my changing colors; my pens kept taking turns going out on me.)
God’s Command to Remember
God told his people over and over again to remember the things he had done for them. I read it again this morning in my morning time.
But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.
I Samuel 12:24 NLT
It is so easy to get discouraged and forget what God has done in the past, or what he’s done even today. Just today alone, he gave you another day, a sunrise, strength to get out of bed, a job, food on the table, family to enjoy life with, a warm bed to sleep in, a home to live in, a car to drive, friends to do life with, a church family…and on and on the list goes. Those may not all be true for you, but most of them probably are. We have so much to be thankful for.
Spending just a few minutes today and every day remembering to be thankful changes your thought process. It can turn discouragement into gratitude. Try it and see if it works!
If you enjoyed today’s post and writing down what you’re thankful for, check out our Faithfully Stepping Journals. We provide a section to write down every day what you’re grateful for. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to take the first few minutes of your day (every day) to write down what you’re thankful for.
Pay day is the most exciting day…even when we know the money is most going to be used to pay the bills. There’s still a part of us that gets excited. We’re getting the payoff for our hard work. Bonuses are even more fun because they are just “extra.” It’s an extra payment for doing a good job or going above and beyond.
Getting paid helps us to remember that somebody sees us, sees our work. It’s the payoff for working hard.
Similarly, God tells us that he sees our work.
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
God Sees You
He sees all the things you do. He sees your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.
He’s seen that you love when nobody else does. He sees the constant love you pour out on your family, your neighbors, and those around you. He sees that you give of yourself tirelessly, often with nothing in return.
Hes sees your faith. You’ve been so tempted to give up, to throw in the towel. Yet you haven’t. You’ve believed when there was nothing to see. You’ve stayed faithful when everybody else walked away. You’ve dug deep see to continue to see God’s goodness, to trust that goodness…even when nobody else could see it.
Your service has not gone unnoticed. He’s seen the million times your served in nursery, kids club, your ministry. He’s seen all the times you’ve made a meal for someone or given money to help those in need. He’s seen your hours of service, and he doesn’t forget it .
Lastly, he’s seen your patient endurance. You’ve haven’t given up when times were hard, when money was low, or when discouragement was rampant. You’ve refused to give up and walk away when everybody else has. You have patiently endured.
Pay Day is Coming
Then he takes it a step further. He sees your growth in each of these areas. He’s taken notice. And the amazing thing about God? He has a long memory. He doesn’t forget. In fact, he keeps a tally, a record. I don’t know when it’s coming, but pay day is coming. One day, God is going to reward you for the things you’ve done. And while we spiritualize things so often, it doesn’t have to be just in heaven. Yes, our ultimate reward are in heaven, but God promises blessings in the here and now as well.
So stay faithful because pay day is coming. God has been watching and keeping track, and he is going to reward you accordingly.
Do you ever feel like you were created for something more? It’s the desire to do something great with God. You have this burning desire inside you to do something more, to create something, be a part of something greater than you. Have you ever gotten that itch inside, an itch that can’t be scratched? Sometimes it lasts a few days; sometimes it lasts a few years. Other times, it lasts a lifetime.
Those God-Urges to do Something Great
I’ve felt this urge so many times. The first time it got really strong was many years ago, before we had kids. Matt and I talked and dreamed about what God had in store. It was in that next year that we left the church we’d been working at for five years and went out on our own to start a church outside of Philadelphia.
The next time that urge came really strongly, our kids were all little. We were full-on in the kid-rearing years. We were raising four kids, all born within five years of each other. It was crazy and chaotic, and yet, I felt like I wanted something more. I felt like God was leading me to do something more. I did lots of journaling, praying, listening to sermons and reading books. Out of that time, this blog was born.
That urge would come back again a few years later when the bottom fell out, and we stopped getting paid at our small church for several months. When we did start getting paid again, it was less than half what we previously made. Urgency to be able to help bring in an income along with a desire to create led me to publish my first book, Red Rose Rising.
God Leading Once Again
It hasn’t surprised me then when Matt and I sat down together a few months ago and started talking about what God has in store for us next. I told him how I felt God working and moving again, and he told me how he’s felt the same. I told him how I’ve felt the “winds of change.”
That’s what I use to describe what’s happening when the ground beneath you isn’t quite as steady as it used to be. You start noticing things, small things at first. But those small things start adding up until you realize that something is happening. It takes a while to put it together, but then you realize that the Holy Spirit is working and moving, and things are starting to change.
from my blog post When the Winds of Change Begin to Blow
We’ve talked at length about we believe God is moving us to do and create next. And we’re so excited to see what he has in store! What do you do when that starts to happen? How do you know God is moving and preparing you to do the same, whether that’s an actual physical move or simply a new business venture, product, opportunity, or ministry?
It Starts in the Mind
In the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Deuteronomy, God started preparing his people for what he wanted them to do next. He was preparing them to actually go into the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the wilderness. We can look at that example and see how God led them.
“You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’ But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.
Deuteronomy 7:16-20
God wanted them to remember what he was capable of. He encourages them to remember. He wanted them to remember what he did in the past. He reminded them of what he did to get them out of Egypt. Why? Because that was how he was going to work again.
Time to Work
After God reminded them how he worked in the past, it was time to get to work. And it was going to be some serious work! God wanted them to go into the Promised Land and conquer the nations already living there. They had to go to war and defeat seven nations, living in their own strongholds. That’s a pretty heavy task.
Yes, God would be with them. Yes, He would give them the victory. But they had to do the work. They had to prepare and go to war time and time again until the Promised Land was theirs.
What does this look like in our lives? When we feel God leading us to do something, to create something, to start something? What do we do?
What’s It Look Like for Us Today?
We can follow the same example. For us, it looks like this. We look at how God has worked in the past. Matt and I take time to talk through and write down ways God led us in the past—how he worked, where he worked, what he taught us, and more. Then we write down what we believe he is leading us to do next. We do the research, reading, discussing, and whatever else we need to do before we can move forward.
Then we get to work. It sounds simple, but that’s often where people get stuck. They know God wants them to do something, but they never actually do the hard work. God will lead us and direct us, but he won’t do the work for us. We have to roll up our sleeves and do actual work. This is the non-romantic part, often the not-fun part. It’s way more fun to sit and dream and talk about what God is doing and how he is working than it is to actually do the work. But this is how God accomplishes his work through us.
If you’re in that place today where you feel like God is actively moving, it’s time to take the next step. Spend time praying, reading God’s Word, journaling, and remembering how he’s worked in the past. See where he is leading you now. Get counsel, make plans, research what it is God’s leading you to do.
Then, get to work. Do the hard work; put in the time. Take the chance. Build something great with God; create something amazing. Then watch as God leads you into what he has in store and allows you to do something great with him.
One Last Note
Notice I’ve been saying “do something great with God,” not for God. I think this is where a lot of us get messed up. God doesn’t need us to do anything for him. He allows us to do work with him. He’s not sitting back watching and waiting for us to build him something, create something for him. No, he wants to do a great work with us. It’s just like making anything with our kids. The finished product is not the most important part; the most important part is the time we spent building it with them. I think it’s the same thing with God.
It’s not about what we are actually creating; it’s the process of working with God. It’s the time we spend talking to him, dreaming, listening to his voice, and searching for him and his wisdom. Then it’s about working with him. It’s God at work in and through us, not about we can do for him.
For More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God.
Have you ever had salt water? Maybe as a mouth rinse or maybe after getting dunked in the ocean? It’s a nasty experience. One you’ve gotten that salty taste on your tongue and on your lips, it’s hard to get rid of it. The only way to get it out of your mouth is to drink fresh water or something else to wash away that salty taste.
Salt can do so much good. It can add flavor to food; it can preserve meat. But too much salt makes you gag. I remember my brother-in-law made an apple pie for a party once, and he accidentally used salt instead of sugar. We took one bite of that pie and spit it out; it was terrible. Salt is only good in small quantities, and you definitely can’t live on salt water. You have to have fresh, clean water to survive.
Salt Water vs. Fresh Water
I read a verse in my morning time this week that caught my attention. James talks about this concept of bitter water and fresh water.
Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
James 3:11,12
That phrase, you can’tdraw fresh water from a salty spring, caught my attention. You can’t get fresh water from salt water; it’s just not going to happen.
Feeling Empty
If you’re at a place in life where you’re discouraged, tired, worn out, bitter, frustrated…there will be no inspiration, no creativity. There will be no fresh ideas, dreaming, and excitement about the future. That’s not a fun place to be; I know because I’ve been there. I’ve also been on the other side, the side that’s teeming with life, ideas, creativity, and excitement.
What do you do when you get stuck in that worn out and discouraged cycle? What do you do when you feel like you’re drawing from a salty spring instead of fresh water? One of the best ways to combat this feeling is to find beauty.
When we recognize beauty, we encounter the divine. God himself draws us close, and we behold him, the author of beauty itself.
When I realized I was more obsessed with what was broken than with what was beautiful, I made some changes. I took more walks in nature, looking for the God-created beauty all around. I noticed baby birds singing a chorus in a nest above my head, natural springs with the sound of water gurgling under a rock, and a green tunnel of leaves with a soft, mossy floor where a mama fox protected her young.
Encountering beauty isn’t just about noticing the natural beauty in the world around you; it’s about noticing the beautiful things God has planted inside you and allowing those things to flourish. It’s about reclaiming your creativity and seeing how that creativity is a God-given thing.
Building a Resilient Life
Finding Beauty
One of the best ways to find creativity, fresh ideas, and encouragement is to find beauty both in the world around us and in what God is doing in and through us.
Beauty can be found in so many places, some of which we don’t expect. We found beauty yesterday at a funeral, not the typical place to find beauty. Our neighbor passed away last week, and Matt had the privilege of doing the funeral. At the funeral, Matt told everyone there that yes, he was a pastor and was officiating the service. But he told them that he was more than a pastor; he was a neighbor. What’s amazing is that there were two other neighbors at the funeral as well. Because of that funeral, the gospel went out to our neighbors. There is beauty in that. There is beauty in seeing God’s grace flow out during a time of sorrow and connecting us as more than neighbors, as people created God in God’s image.
10 Ways to Find Beauty
When we get discouraged and feel there is nothing good around us, it’s time to look around. Find beauty in what God has created and where he is working. Here are a few ideas and ways to find beauty:
Take a nature walk.
Listen to beautiful music.
Read an inspirational and uplifting book.
Do something for somebody else to show love.
Take a scenic drive.
Express yourself creatively- through art, music, writing, poetry, crafting…whatever it is that you love to do creatively.
Make a list of the good in your life.
Get up early to watch the sunrise.
Sit beside water and be still.
Visit a garden, arboretum, or other nature place.
If you’re finding yourself in a place of no creativity, no life, and only discouragement, take the time this weekend to find beauty. Find something fresh and new to give you life.
