Philippians 4: 6-8 (NKJV): "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

Today, are you struggling with discouragement? Discouragement means loss of confidence or enthusiasm. The reality is that in this fallen, broken world, life is difficult, painful and vexing. There are plenty of legitimate reasons for you and me to get discouraged. We all feel discouraged at one time or another, myself included. 

The core issue is what we do about it. If we allow discouragement to take hold and pollute our emotions, infect our thinking, diminish our motivation and take us down into the pit of despair, depression and hopelessness, then we’re allowing discouragement to erode our lives and the lives of those around us.

When I begin to get discouraged, I turn to this passage. We cannot ignore or deny the bad, the ugly or the evil. They're real and dangerous. We must deal with them and do our part to address and overcome them with good. Remember, there’s also a great deal of beauty and goodness around us, and that God loves us. Count your blessings each day and be encouraged!

Let’s think about and discuss these questions:

1. What happened recently that made you feel discouraged?  Did you pray to God about it?

2. Leaving your discouraging mood unattended is bad for health.  Have you been through this and learned from it?

3. Count your blessings today and this week, which people and/or what things might have lit up your life?