Just Some Thoughts
Years ago I taught a lesson dealing with Discouragment. Many times in my life I have struggled with depression and discouragment. It seems to accompany people who stive to accomplish much in life. Sounds like you fit into this category Guy ... Not for sure this will bring about instant relief ... but there are some important priciples that my benefit you in the long run. Here is the study.
HOW TO HANDLE DISCOURAGEMENT
With all of the pressure and stress in today's marketplace, it is easy to run out of emotional energy. Whatever you call it ... depression, "burnout", or "the blahs"... it is an inescapable warning light that something is seriously out of balance in your life.
How do people get themselves into such an emotional mess? The answer is
Faulty Thinking. Your emotions are caused by your thoughts- conscious or unconscious. If you are experiencing depressed feelings, it means your mind is dwelling on depressed thoughts.
There is a fascinating story of a man who experienced major burnout in the Bible and how God helped him recover. Right after he experienced the greatest success of his life, Elijah's emotions hit bottom. He was emotionally and physically depleted, but his faulty thinking made matters worse. Elijah's 4 mistakes are common to all of us:
MISTAKES THAT INTENSIFY DISCOURAGMENT
I. We focus on our feelings rather than the facts.
1 Kings 19:3-4 (NIV) "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.""
The mistake of emotional reasoning says, "I feel it, so it must be true!" Elijah said, "I feel like a failure, so I must be one." The fact is feelings are highly unreliable. Great performers and athletes know they must learn to ignore the negative feelings they often experience afterthey have performed
.
II. We compare ourselves to others.
1 Kings 19:4 (NIV) "while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.""
This, of course, is a self-defeating trap. We end up comparing other's strengths to our weaknesses, while ignoring our strengths. Alternatively, we foolishly label ourselves with derogatory statements. Labels never motivate us to change - they only reinforce what you do not like about yourself. The Bible says you should not compare yourself to others because you are unique!
III. We blame ourselves for things that are not our fault.
1 Kings 19:10 (NIV) "He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.""
Elijah took the failure of others personally. He felt he should be able to control the actions and attitudes of others - a guaranteed formula for depression. You can influence people, but you cannot control them. People do not always respond the way you would like. So lighten up! Criticizing yourself or others is a poor motivator.
IV. We exaggerate the negative.
This is called having a Pity Party. When you are down, everything seems to look worse than it really is.
1 Kings 19:10 (NIV) "He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.""
1 Kings 19:18 (NIV) "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.""
A king had two sons - one an optimist, the other a pessimist. The King gave the pessimist all that he wanted and he gave the optimist a pile of horse manure. The pessimist was despondent, for he had nothing to look forward to. Whereas the optimist was happy for he thought with all that manure, there had to be a pony somewhere.
GOD'S PRESCRIPTION FOR DISCOURAGMENT
Three Types of Time
- Prime Time - When You Are At Your Best -
- Grime Time - The Time You Plan To Do What You Really Don't Want To
- Unwind Time - Time When You Unwind Recovering From The Days Events
Less Stress?
- Divert Daily - Find Some Time Alone Each Day
- Withdraw Weekly - Find Some Time Each Week That You Can Relax
- Abandon Annually - Find Some Time Annually to Spend Away From the Offices - You are not indispensable.
I. Rest your body.
God did not scold Elijah for feeling down. Instead, he gave him a vacation with the needed food, rest, and relaxation.
1 Kings 19:5-9 (NIV) "Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?""
There were two men chopping wood. One man worked hard all day long, too no breaks, and stopped only briefly for lunch. The other chopper took several breaks during the day and a short nap at lunch. At the end of the day, the woodsman who had taken no breaks was quite disturbed to see the other chopper had cut more wood than he had.
He said, "I do not understand. Every time I looked around, you were sitting down, yet you cut more wood that I did."
His companion said, "Did you also notice that while I was sitting down, I was sharpening my axe?"
II. Release your frustration.
Tell God how you feel. God encouraged Elijah to pour out his inner feelings to him. Prayer is a great way to let off steam. Remember that God is not shocked because He
already knows how you feel!
1 Kings 19:10 (NIV) "He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.""
III. Refocus your life.
Get your eyes off your problems and onto the fact that God wants to help you if you will let him. He can help you discover a new purpose and provide the power to move in that direction.
1 Kings 19:15-17 (NIV) "The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu."
If you do not change the direction you are going, you are likely to end up where you are headed.