July 2020 | Page 06
Our impatience can lead us to discouragements.
Nobody is perfect in this world. We were
born into this imperfect world alongside imperfect
people and when we die, we would leave behind an
imperfect world. The only satisfaction that we
gain is having fulfilled God's calling in our lives,
bringing hope and comfort to the needy. When
perfection comes, all the imperfection will go
away. Let us fix our eyes toward Heaven and
finish the race that is before us.
4) Loneliness Can Discourage Us
1Ki 19:10 - “...and I, even I only, am left, and
they seek my life, to take it away.”
Loneliness can set the stage for
discouragement to play. Some want to be lonely in
life while others are forced into loneliness. In
either case, there is a high probability that we
might be discouraged.
God basically created humans as relational
ones. The first and foremost is, our relationship
with God. Then comes the earthly relationships of
mother, father, brother, sister, friend, spouse,
children and relatives. We also relate with the
nature. But when Sin came into this world, all
these relations got complicated, and now we are in
a total mess.
It is only through Jesus we can now relate to
the Father and to our fellow human beings.
Nevertheless, at times we may face loneliness
staring at us.
We need to understand the difference
between loneliness and 'delusional loneliness.'
Delusional loneliness is when we feel lonely
although we are not alone. We forget that there
are so many people who love us and cherish us.
They may not be physically near us but we are
close to their hearts.
Elijah suffered from this delusion. He acted
alone. He felt lonely. But God had kept others like
him in different places and positions - 7000
people still had not bowed down to Baal (1 Ki
19:18); Obadiah served in the king's court (1 Ki
18:3) and there were hundred other prophets (1 Ki
18:4). Not aware of this, Elijah started to
withdraw from the scene.
www.bymonline.org
Instead of dealing with discouragement, too
many of us withdraw ourselves from the situation
making it more complex. In spite of our
discouragements, we should make ourselves
useful to others especially the needy ones.
A small gesture of love, a word of hope, a
note of thanks will do tons of miracles for people.
Relating to pet animals, birds, plants (if we can
afford) is another way to deal with loneliness.
Above all, we should never forget the fact
that we are never alone at any given point of time.
Jehovah Shammah has promised to be with us
even to the end of this age. What a great comfort!
People may come and go, but God always
remains. He is the Rock of Ages! Amen! Alleluia!
5) People's Misbehavior Can
Discourage Us
1Ki 19:2 -“ Then Jezebel sent a messenger to
Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more
also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of
them by this time tomorrow.”
All of us, at some point in our life have to face
the hatred of the world. Jesus foretold this: “If the
world hates you, know that it has hated me before
it hated you” (Jn 15:18).
Hence, we should not to be surprised by it. It
is human nature to seek acceptance from people.
We expect dignity and respect. We want
acceptance. We want love. But it is not possible at
all times from all people. People may talk against
us. They may disrespect us. They may criticize us.
They may hate us.
We cannot allow ourselves to be discouraged
by every word that is spoken against us. Let us
listen to the wise counsel of king Solomon:
“Do not take to heart all the things that
people say, lest you hear your servant cursing
you”(Ecc 7:21).
If you start listening to all the things that
people say about you, you will be constantly
discouraged. We cannot please everyone and
cannot expect praise from everyone. If everybody
praises a person, then it may be that they were
forced to or he is a false prophet.