Overcoming Discouragement

How easy is it to allow yourself to dwell in the negative? To complain about where you are in life for a few minutes, rather than to decide to make a change? The hardest thing to do is to make changes in your life. Sure point fingers at others, look and compare yourself to them, but in actuality, its about you. I think, based on personal experience, its harder to make changes in my life because i then have to look at my past and get over the mistakes i've made along the way. looking back at horrible choices brings on more discouragement. When does it end?
God never said life on earth would be easy....that's why we have to live for him down here, so we can experience HEAVEN! ITs called heaven for a reason ya know. If you think about it, there isn't a whole lot of negative with Jesus in your life.
Elijah had so many miracles in his life...from raising a boy from the dead, to winning a battle that was 400 to 1. Then all of a sudden, some woman (Jezebel) doesn't like what he's doing and wants him dead basically. You think a man like Elijah, with so many wonderful blessings from God would be like, "man some woman wants me dead, big whoop". But no, he honestly picked up everything and fled away from the situation. He actually prayed that God would take his life. "I have had enough Lord.Take my life. I am no better than my ancestors" (1kings19)Elijah made three mistakes: he compared himself to others (ancestors), he tried to control things he couldn't, and he didn't focus on the positive.
I look at myself and am like, "dang is my middle name Elijah?" I do this alot when trying to accept my past. When i came to christ, i was in the gutter. God asked me loud and clear, "RACHAEL WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I made decisions based upon what others thought of me, thought i could control how everyone felt because I could change them ofr make them feel better, and i always dwelled on what I WASN'T. THree major no nos, when seeking a happy life! a life filled with our savior. Jesus has made it so nice for us....If we can just look at ourselves the way he sees us, then i know we would all have a better understanding. I fear at times, if the people i care about the most really got to know who i WAS, they would never love me they way they do when they see my now. Having to tell someone that i thought i was bigger than God himself (obviously by they way i led my life) is a scary thing. but then i think, well 1. it doesn't really matter because God's plan is going to happen regardless. and 2. then they really arent who i thought they were as a strong christian friend. When i feel vulnerable in those times, i often compare myself to who I see as a "close to perfect" christian...you know who i'm talking about. NO SLOPPY PAST, the kind of life where you look at it, and am like, HOW DID THEY NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES I DID? WHY DID I HAVE TO LEARN THE HARD WAY? OR MAN< I WISH I COULD BE MORE LIKE THEM! But god doesn't want us to compare. we are all at different stages in our lives, different seasons. we cannot get in this rut, we become critical, envious, unthankful and insecure. he wants us to be ourselves....an origional.
Lets see a show of hands of people who struggle with things they can't control? No one? Really? HA, that's funny. we're just fooling ourselves then. Its amazing the time we put in worrying about things we really are powerless over and the few rare minutes we concentrate on what we really can do something about...like our response to situations, or our attitude. we control how we guard our hearts and how much we choose to trust god. For me, i can't control the things i've already done...i can't dwell on decisions i've already made! Its my hardest battle...i see who i am now, and can't get over WHY it took so long for me to get here! Its like man, i never want to go back...why did i stay there for what seems to be forever?! The longer i hold on to that, the unhappier i will be, and i know that will even cause me to regress in my walk. All i can control is my attitude towards it and how i respond to similar situations in the future.
And last but not least, we need to focus on the positive! Look at all God has given me! We have to be aware that we do none of it! It's all a god thing! What really stuck with me was when Pastor James Price said, "man my friends would ask, James is in church? he's a pastor? it must be a God thing!" and with me i relate! I've always had a good heart, and a desire to help others...but my decisions in life were based upon what i wanted, not what God wanted for me. I was never aware that i could seek God for the answers, i always went to people....even people who didn't earn any trust with me! i never learned to guard my heart...and it wasn't my parents fault...my mother and father were great...it was me, being stubborn, conviencing myself that I could change them for the better, i could change anyone i encountered. once you realize that God should be praised for ALL THINGS, life becomes more enjoyable by the minute. We first though above all have to ask ourselves, why in the heck are we here?