Not quite depressed, but a long way from hopeful
Do you ever feel not quite depressed, but a long way from hopeful? Something like discouraged or sad, maybe gloomy or disheartened? This feeling can creep in slowly or crush us swiftly. Discouragement can come when we feel we aren’t measuring up in some way. It can come when others have let us down or hurt us. It can come in many forms and from various sources.
We all respond to discouragement in a variety of ways. We may:
Lean into it and feed it, lengthening it’s stay. Sometimes that may intensify those feelings until we find ourselves depressed.
Tough it out, thinking that we just need to grit our teeth, and it’ll eventually go away. Sometimes that works, but it feels like a difficult path to take.
Numb it with things we hope will help us feel better: food, tv, social media, whatever we imagine will help us forget the sadness, at least temporarily.
How do you, as a believer, cope with feeling sad or discouraged? Does your hope in Christ offer a solution to your discouraged heart? Hope is one of the central messages of Holy Scripture. God offered hope to the Jewish people by choosing them and setting them apart. He offered hope to the Gentile people by grafting us into his family. God offered hope by sending Jesus to earth. Jesus offers hope through his death and resurrection. Hebrews 6:13-20 says this,
“God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he used himself when he swore to Abraham, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ Abraham waited patiently for this to happen, and he received what God promised. People always use the name of someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath proves that what they say is true, and this ends all arguing. God wanted to prove that his promise was true to those who would get what he promised. And he wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change, so he made an oath. These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven, where Jesus has gone ahead of us and for us. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.”
Reading these words reminds me that the God I serve wants me to come to him for safety, strength, and hope. He’s promising us he has those to give. When you are discouraged and disheartened, do you go to Him and ask for the very thing He has already told you He wants to give you?! Our hope in Christ is so much more than a feeling. It’s a promise of God.
When we feel discouraged, it can be helpful to remember that the difficult times in life are not a punishment meant to be endured. They’re the way sanctification happens! Romans 5:1-5 says,
“Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. We also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.”
So, if you find yourself feeling discouraged, sad, gloomy, or disheartened – not depressed, but a long way from hopeful – try one of the following.
Count your blessings
When I was a child, my mom sang the old hymn Count Your Blessings to me at bedtime. Here are a few of the lyrics:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
One of the best ways I know to counter discouragement when it comes is to make a habit of count blessings. I have a sign in my home that reads “There is always always always something to be thankful for”. I have it as a reminder to me to look for the positive in my circumstances. This sign reminds me that if I can’t see the blessing, it’s because I’m not looking hard enough.
Do an input check
We input a lot in any given day. We consume information and ideas through news, podcasts, social media, and books. We have conversations with friends and family, listen to music and watch tv. What is this input doing to your mood? If you’re feeling discouraged or sad, you may be able to think back and pinpoint the source or input that’s contributing. It’s a good idea to ask yourself some questions: Whose are the voices I’m listening to? Are they speaking truth and hope into my life or are they creating anxiety and negativity?
Because there is such easy access to information and entertainment, I wonder if we’re even aware how much input we receive that we’re not consciously choosing. We often don’t even consider that we have a choice to refuse certain input. For example, if the news feed is discouraging, you can turn it off. If social media makes you feel anxious and sad, unfollow some folks or take a break from it altogether.
We’re all going to feel sad or discouraged from time to time. It’s part of the human condition. But just like any feeling, it won’t stay forever. Don’t let discouragement derail your confidence in God. He is faithful.
The Lord’s love never ends;
his mercies never stop.
23 They are new every morning;
Lord, your loyalty is great.
Lamentations 3:22-23