Feeling Distracted by Discouragement

I look at my current circumstances and seek to find purpose. How can the pain be used for something worthwhile? How can my lack of success help me achieve what God has in store for me?

I struggle to keep my perspective focused on Christ, and that is where my attitude gets impacted. I allow my circumstances, treatment and opinions of others begin to define who I am. I give Satan the opportunity to nestle in and make his home in my heart. Once I fall for his schemes, I'm letting him keep getting more comfy inside my soul. 

This world so easily entangles our focus and thoughts in anything but what is eternal. Some days it takes everything within me to keep a positive outlook on life. It is so easy to not get discouraged when it seems as though everything always ends up in someone else's favor but my own. 

I look around and it seems as though everyone else is getting that perfect job. The perfect spouse. The perfect kids. The perfect talents. The perfect opportunities. The perfect life. I seek to have a glimpse of what that "perfect" might feel like, but it seems like something so utterly unattainable. Maybe because I'm looking to find perfection in all the wrong areas. I seek to aim for perfection only in the temporary aspects of my life, while forgetting that there's so much more than what I can see. 

Maybe why I'm so easily discouraged is because I'm looking for satisfaction in things that will boost my happiness, only to be left with utter discouragement when I can't keep it. If I could only secure my joy in something that would remain constant and steadfast. Knowing that God is the one source that will never let me down sounds like it would be an easy solution, but often times it feels impossible to focus solely on Him and not get distracted by my unmet desires. This world picks at our heart and causes our mind to be misled in so many directions. We were made to desire something that would fill our aching empty hearts, but yet we are looking in all the wrong areas. 

One way I have found to help overcome the distractions of this life is to recall that we are in a spiritual battle. The problems that we face everyday are just tiny glimpses of what is truly going on in the spiritual realm. The struggles, pain and difficult circumstances are only a glimpse of the amazing picture God is painting. If we can view our trials and tragedies as opportunities for growth we can begin to find a fresh perspective. When we let our discouragement overtake us and withhold us from making the most of our opportunities we are giving Satan the credit of achievement in our lives. Don't let him win. Don't let him control you. 

Root yourself in God's promises, they will remain secure in life's darkest of storms. Remember who your enemy is. Don't let him overcome. Let God fill those empty cavities that just can't seem to be satisfied by the temporary desires you crave, with an eternal perspective. Replace the negative thoughts and faulty perceptions you have of yourself with God's truth of who you truly are. Find joy in knowing where your eternal home is. This isn't the end, we're only on the brink of something so incredibly amazing!