Discouragement

Everyone has gone through seasons of discouragement. The best of us have, even the strongest people. It seems to be a common thing we all go through from time to time. The causes are different, and the level of discouragement is also always different. How people respond to it is another thing that varies from person to person. We find many people in the Bible going through the same thing, almost as if all human beings are not immune to it.

Have you ever been discouraged before? I have. Many, many times. Discouraged to the point of being unable to say much in prayer because the words fail me. Discouraged to the point of breaking down in tears without a clear reason why. You’re like “But why am l crying?” Yet the crying is helping. Discouraged to the point of breaking a fast earlier because you’ve been pondering too much on something, and you’re like, “You know what? Not today.”

I’m talking about real-life experiences. Discouraged to the point where, even if you wanted to tell someone about it, you wouldn’t know where to start. Discouraged to continue the work, continue fighting, continue journeying. Some people have been so overwhelmingly discouraged that they started feeling like dying would be a better option to escape how they felt. Some did. Some were found just in time. Some never dared to attempt suicide.

I have read the story of Elijah countless times, and every time I do, I ask myself, how could a man doing such great exploits for God decide he’s done with life just like that? You know, someone’s pain doesn’t make sense to you because it’s someone else’s pain. Just like when winter comes, a warmly clothed person cannot say to one without a jersey, “I understand.” It keeps the conversation going but in all truth , you don’t understand. Just like when you read about Samson or Jonah, you feel like you could’ve done better. But there are many things that even those people would score you 1–0 in. Maybe even 10 – note.

Many people cannot be counsellors, and I will tell you why, they don’t have enough capacity to tap into someone’s emotions, feel what they feel, and then tap out to judge the situation. So, when Elijah was going through all that, we think, “Ah, such a powerful prophet! Suicidal? I’d never do that.” But you’ve never had a Jezebel chasing you to kill you. The only person chasing you is your ex with a “Hey, stranger” text, which I don’t think you should reply to by the way. First of all, you’re not a stranger, so he got the wrong number.

You’ve never been a Samson with long hair, so you will judge unfairly. But you’ve laid down with many people who stole your anointing; it’s just that your hair is still looking good. I’m saying this to us, we may know what discouragement is, but the intensity of what someone is experiencing in their life is most likely to be understood only by them and God.

I’ve mentioned that I’ve been discouraged before, and if I told you why, you might think it’s either too big or too small. Someone’s source of discouragement may not be the same thing you’re going through, and that’s why you must not think someone who lost a baby is better than someone who lost their mother. David’s discouragement is not greater than Elijah’s discouragement. Nobody feels “better” pain. Pain is pain.

I want us to stop thinking that if it’s not what we went through, then it’s not a scar and it shouldn’t be acknowledged. “What have you been through? You don’t know my own story.” Rest with that. I don’t know, man. Maybe counselling changed me a lot, and I now see people differently than before. I can now understand some of the things people do. I have stopped just judging how people respond to things.

There was a time when I used to wonder why someone was always crying. I was like, “Nah! Cry me a river baby!” Until I started witnessing people’s vulnerable moments right before my eyes. Tears that could fill a bucket, and someone is literally beating their chest, begging themselves to keep holding on. The same person you think is not as tough as you is actually even tougher than you because, after all that, they get up and continue with life.

Discouragement, my people, is a real thing. It’s such a broad topic, and I intend to discuss how to fight through it. I pray that it helps many of us here.You are not the only one. Sometimes, as human beings, we want to feel seen. We want to hear or believe that we are the only ones going through what we’re experiencing, but you’re not. This is not to downplay anything you’re feeling. It’s simply to remind you that this too shall pass.

What’s your first step? As I wrap this up, Elijah prayed.

“And he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, 1 Kings 19:4a KJV)

See you tomorrow. I love you.❤️

If you read my blogs but have never met this  Wonderful Jesus that I’m always writing about,  you’d love to get to know Him, Or you know The Lord but have found yourself drifting far from Him, I would love to talk with you. Please send me an email  on yieldedcwcenter@gmail.com or simply comment, and I will reach out to you