“Some Simple Truths For The Discouraged”
By Pastor Bo Wagner
February 8, 2021

One: It is not as bad as you think. I know this both because the devil is a liar (John 8:44) and because our hearts cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 28:26). He and they always overstate the badness of the bad. Always.

Two: No matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. The daytime always follows the night, the springtime always follows the winter, the sunshine always follows the rain, and the resurrection followed the crucifixion. Our good God has arranged everything to work like that, even our hard times.

Three: You are not alone. Mankind was only alone once, at the very beginning of creation, and God immediately said “that is not good” and changed it. No one has ever been truly alone ever since. It is not a matter of whether or not you have people out there for you; you do. It is just a matter of reaching out to them and letting them know you need them.

Four: Things will not always be confusing. As a general rule, by the time people reach twenty they are no longer confused about things that happened in their teens and preteens, by the time they reach thirty they are no longer confused about things that happened in their twenties, and by the time they reach sixty they are only confused about where they put their glasses. And then they realize that their glasses are on top of their heads, and they are no longer confused about that either.

Five: You matter. God is not wasteful; if you didn’t matter, He would not have bothered to let there be a “you” to begin with. But there is a you because He wanted there to be a you, and therefore you actually matter very much. Furthermore, if there ever was no longer a “you,” a lot of others would be broken to pieces missing you. You matter to God, and you matter to people. You matter to family and friends, you matter to everyone who is cheered by your smile during the day, you matter to those encouraged by a kind word that you say, you matter to those uplifted by the prayers you pray for them, and you matter to those pleasantly shocked by the fact that you, friend, actually utilize a turn signal.

Six: The very fact that you are discouraged means that you are probably way more important than you realize. Why would the devil take time to discourage an insignificant nobody? I have never known him to discourage people with an IQ of 9 and no potential to do anything more than occasionally burp the alphabet for fun. If he or any of his “crew” has chosen you as a target for discouragement, then thank him for the vote of confidence, and then go do something so great that he hulk smashes whatever little demon happens to be wandering by when he decides to vent his anger at you.

Seven: Some of the greatest people in history were also often some of the most discouraged. Elijah the prophet. Winston Churchill. Charles Spurgeon. Abraham Lincoln. Even Larry the Cucumber. You could go from your days of depression to being a great man of God, a head of state, a President, or even a famous singing vegetable adored by millions.

Eight: There is only one Mona Lisa, only one ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, only one Blue Hope Diamond, and only one you. You are just as irreplaceable as those famous masterpieces. You are absolutely unique, and the world would be a less vibrant place without you. So grab your mental crown and plop it firmly on your head, stride out to meet the world head-on again today, and thank the wonderful God of heaven for breaking the mold when He made you.

Nine: someone else out there needs to hear all of this too; so pass it on to them.

Pastor Bo Wagner can be reached by email at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org, and his books and audio downloads are available by clicking the “Store” link above.

Feature photo by Pastor Bo Wagner