Three Checks to Overcoming Discouragement

Bouncing off the post from yesterday about my heart failure and hospital stay, I’m re-posting a top-ten list from three years ago. These are the Top Ten Statements Made By Medical Professionals That I Found Haunting. I’ve also added a new section about how to deal with discouragement.

 

Photo by Fotograf-77

 

TOP TEN STATEMENTS MADE BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS THAT I FOUND HAUNTING

10. I’m going to admit you to the hospital for observation.

9. I’m going to remove your gallbladder and appendix.

8. We’re going to put you in ICU so we can monitor you better.

7. You’re fever is very high; we may need to put ice on you.

6. We’re about to Careflight you to Medical City in Dallas.

5. I’m about to insert the Foley Catheter.

4. You may need a heart assist device.

3. We may need to put you on a breathing machine.

2. I’m going to put a central line into your heart so we can have better access.

1. You have a virus that’s causing your heart to function at only 20%.

All of these statements created a sense of discouragement when I heard them. Discouragement is always available for us. We don’t have to go far to find it. You certainly don’t need a hospital stay to encounter it. Sometimes all you need to do is wake up in the morning. The ability to function through discouragement is a critical leadership skill. Here are three steps that I’ve found beneficial in battling discouragement.

1. Check Your Lenses — I have to wear glasses to see things at a distance. My eyesight is so bad that the State of Texas requires I wear my lenses when I drive. Without the specs, everything is a blur, lines become fuzzy, and clarity is reduced to shapes. I can see little detail without my glasses. But when I put them on, that which made little sense is suddenly explained. The lenses through which I look change everything. When left to the lenses in my eyes, I really can’t see well; but when I use my lenses from the doctor, all comes into focus.

Fighting through discouragement demands we examine our lenses. Discouragement is often the result of fuzzy information, blurred lines, and uncertain futures. Focusing on these areas creates frustration, because no matter how hard we focus, clarity isn’t found.

We need to adjust our perspective. Instead of asking what you or others think about the situation, ask God what He thinks? Allow Him to speak into your reality. His thoughts and His voice bring clarity where all else mystifies.

2. Check Your Schedule – Discouragement creates high levels of stress and despair. Fighting against discouragement means you need to get away. Break free from your normal schedule. Get out of town.

I think you do this for two reasons: rest and resource. Exhaustion is the biggest obstacle in overcoming discouragement. Weary soldiers make bad decisions. To overcome discouragement you will need to rest. During that rest, you need the resource of God’s voice.

When I’m discouraged, I have a low opinion of myself. I need to hear what God thinks about me, my life, and my future. I need to hear Him not just for the situation, I need to hear him for my self-worth. Without that resource I’m left to the opinions of others, which itself is usually a source of discouragement.

3. Check Your Momentum – Even in your rest, keep moving forward. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Hopelessness is a close cousin to discouragement. Lost hope will tell you that forward momentum is not possible. It will tell you that you’ve given your best so quit now.

The trouble with hopelessness is that it lies. It doesn’t have all the information, yet speaks as if it does; and it’s a master at persuasion. When you sense hopelessness weaving through your discouragement, remember that you are about to be told lies. Whatever you’re situation–even when facing death–nothing is hopeless. So keep moving forward.

I pray your future is full of life!

How do you deal with discouragement? Leave your thoughts below!