Contagious
October 27, 2017The start of school brings a lot of new challenges and the usual back to school sickness. It’s kind of remarkable how a student can go three or four months without any bug and ten to fourteen days after school resumes, they are running a fever and sleeping for days. We can appreciate that school leadership tries to reduce this by asking parents to keep their children home if they notice any type of symptom. And when the bug hits your house, a game of “who brought the bug to school” begins in our houses.
Have you ever thought about how contagious discouragement is? We are quick to don our Sherlock Holmes skills trying to figure out who made our child sick, but how often is our discouragement something we have picked up from someone else? Or how often do people “catch” discouragement from us?
Here are some remedies for the discouraged heart. John 14:1-3 encourages us to look towards the end. Verse 1 starts with these words “Let not your heart be troubled…” This is a great description of a soul dealing with discouragement. Jesus then orients the weary heart towards the final culmination and offers encouragement there. Romans 15:4 points us to The Bible as a balm for the discouraged. Spending time in its pages reiterates the truth of Hebrews 4:12; a quickening of the heart that calls us to press on. And when all else fails, John 16:33 points us towards the One who ultimately offers courage that lasts. We need to avoid discouragement in our lives. We also need to make sure we aren’t the one infecting others with it. Commit to finding your courage in the Word of God. When you do, you’ll never regret it.
Pastor Dave
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