Do You Get Discouraged? I Get Discouraged, Too.

Walking in the Truth

      It seems that there is a lot to be discouraged about these days . . . Politics . . . The Economy . . . Politics . . . Terrorism . . . Politics . . . But the discouragement I'm focusing on today relates to spirituality. I'm writing about discouragement over my own, personal Christian walk with the Lord.
      But I don't want you to think that what follows is my way of indulging in a pity party. I'm hoping that you may relate to some of the same discouragement . . . maybe some of my devotional thoughts may provide some insights for you. As always, however, the Truth I refer to is the Truth that is found in God's Word.
      What triggered my thinking was the following devotional from RZIM, entitled "Between Easter & the End," written by Jill Carattini. I read it as part of my daily "quiet time on WED 4/6. My suggestion? Follow the link & read it for yourself. Undoubtedly you will find it to be way more profound than anything you will find in anything I have to say. Transformation. 

Today's Devotional Thoughts

It's so easy to get discouraged at the behavior of other so-called Christians. For those of us who affix that label to ourselves, we naturally cast a very critical eye on those who affix the same label to themselves. Why? Partly, I think, it's because it's in our nature to be self-righteous, & comparing ourselves to others feels good when we tend to look good by comparison. Secondly, I think we resent it when the behavior of so-called Christians disparages our faith in the eyes of a world that doesn't need all that much encouragement to disparage us even more.

If I am honest with myself, however, & I have a tendency to be very, very brutally honest with myself. I can cast a critical eye on my own sinful persona when I look at myself in the mirror [which is scary, I'll admit]. In fact, as a life-long Christian, it seems as if the older I get & the more time I spend in The Word, the more susceptible I've gotten to becoming discouraged with my personal walk with the Lord.
CAUTION! I'm about to get very, very personal here.

• I think that finally, finally the fruits of the Spirit are abounding in my life, the way God intends for them to do, in love & service to Him & on behalf of others . . . only to find it more difficult to love others, especially those I count as my enemies, whom Jesus has told us to love.
• What about the fruit of peace? When I was told a little over a year ago that a decision had been made that it was in both my best interest & in the best interest of the ministry I served that I should not return, I felt anything but peace. Then I was invited to write devotions for the Daily Announcements & invited to write one more issue of Prayer Partners [experiencing perhaps the fruit of joy?],  only to be told in August that it had been decided that it would be best to "cut all ties with me . . . " Well, just when I think I've made peace with those decisions, accepted my role in what led to those decisions, forgiven where I feel I've been offended . . . something happens, & all those feelings come flooding back . . . As a poor, miserable sinner, where is the peace & forgiveness I should be feeling? It's discouraging.
• Patience . . . One of my joys in recent months was getting to spend some long weekends in January down in Lincoln, helping my daughter with her little girls--the "apples-of-my-eye"--my grand-daughters, while my son-in-law was out of town for National Guard school. As much as I enjoyed my time with them, there were also times when I found myself getting impatient & snapping at both my daughter & the little girls. No, it doesn't MATTER if I felt provoked. Who's the adult? Who's supposed to be the mature Christian?
• Then there's kindness [& this is my last example, pinky promise!]. My wife, who has had to struggle w/my prickly personality throughout our married lives, but who has had to especially bear with me thru my "sabbatical" during this past year or so, still feels my sharp tongue & baleful glances from time to time. No, once again, she is not deserving of this treatment from one who is supposed to be loving her as Christ loves the Church.

Before this devotional gets completely out of hand--which I sense is already happening--here are some excerpts from the Slice of Infinity devotional which I read the other day, inspiring me to write my own devotional. Maybe, if you haven't already followed the link, this will whet your appetite to reconsider.

• ". . . when I think of transformation, I often think of dramatic change . . . the apostle Paul changed from zealous tormentor to zealous Christian, Lazarus moved from death to life. And I believe there is indeed something quite like this that takes place in the life of one willing to follow resurrected Christ--a creature who actually stops being one thing in order to become something else. This is precisely what the Christian sacrament of baptism does."
• "Clothed in Christ's perfect nature, the nature of a person is truly changed."
• "Though we stand before God imperfect & discouraged, it is the Son the Father now sees."
• "But this is not to say that God is finished working."
• "This sort of transformation is neither the dramatic change often expected, nor the steady known progression for which we might hope. Like Paul himself, we can find ourselves doing the things we don't want to do, falling back into mindsets that need to be renewed, imitating a broken world more than we imitate Christ. Transformation at these times seems far less like Lazarus rising from the grave & more like a would-be butterfly refusing to come out of a cocoon."

Discouragement is inevitable unless you--unless we--are perfect . . . and that is an unlikely proposition on this side of heaven . . . but there is hope. There is transformation on God's terms, not ours . . . and that is a blessing! I'll leave you with:

Today's Scriptural Truths

"Therefore, if anyone is i Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!"  2 Corinthians 5:17

"'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  Rev. 21:4

Today's Prayer *

St. 4  "Jesus, my Redeemer, lives; Likewise I to life shall waken.

He will bring me where He is; Shall my courage then be shaken?

Shall I fear, or could the Head

Rise & leave His members dead?"

*Source:  "Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense," Lutheran Service Book, #741