by Alena Wendall, @alenawendall
We are in the second month of 2021, and those smart goals I created still seem challenging, discouragingly so.
Discouragement can seep insidiously into your life. It starts with a small thought, and before you know it – it clouds your entire vision.
What do you do?
Honestly, sometimes, I wallow. You know, the kind of wallowing that includes Blue Bell Ice Cream and Netflix. Or scrolling through social media and see everyone else’s successes except my own.
But then, I remember King David.
Remember, the guy that started as a shepherd boy and ended up a king? — The shepherd boy that slew a giant with only a rock and a sling?
Who then reached the highest of high only to be hunted down by King Saul, and later his son tried to take the kingdom from him? Those were stressful situations.
In scripture, David turns to himself and says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God…” Psalm 43:5
In today’s vernacular, it translates to, “Alena, get over yourself. Don’t depend on your feels or what you see — trust God.”
During the 2020 pandemic, I worried over low revenue numbers with the business that supports thirteen families. I also had relatives fighting difficult health diagnosis’—more stressful situations.
Then there is the whole writing thing. For every step forward, I feel like I’ve taken forty steps back, like the Israelites wandering in the desert.
But feelings don’t have brains, do they?
I can’t always trust my feelings, especially when the beast of discouragement rises.
So, like David, I remind myself — Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God…” Psalm 43:5
But don’t forget the rest of the scripture. “for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Praise Him. It will put your focus on how big your God is, not your problems.
Be encouraged, my friends. God’s got this!
Writing as Alena Wendall, Alena Tauriainen pens contemporary Christian romance novels that always end with a happily ever after. By day, she partners with her lifelong mate Clyde, to run the family HVAC business. She manages both business and family life with four lovable but crazy kids. She is the Retreats Coordinator for My Book Therapy. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Books & Such Literary Management. Visit her at alenawendall.com.