“Dealing with Discouragement.”
John 13:1-11
If you have ever worked with other people, or served others in any capacity, you know that working with others can be difficult. Before I worked as a pastor I worked as a cashier. It was not always easy. I had certain customers that made me nervous because they were often in bad moods and took out whatever frustration they had on me. Whatever had happened that day seemed to be my fault. I either had a massive amount of influence that I was not aware of, or these customers just felt like using me as a scapegoat. I learned a great deal about working with people from retail jobs and I believe it helped me prepare for pastoral ministry.
Even if you are not in a retail job, working with people can be difficult. As you read this, I want to make sure you understand that I am including you in the difficult category. Please, don’t stop reading. Working with me can be difficult too. People are people. The fact is, that sin is what causes relationships to be broken. Why? Because sin in my life makes me the center of my world. Ever hear someone being accused of thinking “the whole world revolves around them?” Sin causes us to be selfish and self-centered. We don’t like to admit it, but this is a problem for all of us. Every human being struggles with this.
I was reading John 13:1-11 as part of my personal devotions and it got me thinking about serving others. I read this passage before going to an event that the congregation puts on that serves families in the area that need school supplies. Through this outreach we are trying to show others the love of Christ. As with anything that we do as humans, it is easy to become discouraged. I will be honest with you, there are many Sundays in the year that I leave the pulpit disappointed in myself or how I perceived my speaking, or clarity within the sermon, or the service itself. I get discouraged after meetings, hoping that I led in a wise way. I get discouraged with my devotional writing as well.
Discouragement is something we all deal with. So, what do we do with discouragement? Is discouragement sinful? If so, how discouraging! I don’t think discouragement is sinful in and of itself. In fact, many of the psalms grew out of the psalmists being discouraged. Take Psalm 143 for instance. David wrote this psalm, and he says, “my heart is overcome with dismay” and “I am like parched land before you.” David sounds discouraged. God doesn’t condemn him for it either. The prophet Elijah was discouraged. So were the prophets Habakkuk, Amos, and Jeremiah. They were discouraged with the injustice and ill treatment of the poor in their land.
How do we deal with discouragement in our lives? How do we deal with discouragement when trying to serve others? Read John 13:1-11 again. Notice who is all there and what is happening. Jesus and the twelve disciples are gathered eating the meal that we now call the Last Supper. This was a Passover meal. This section covers the first part of the evening. Jesus began the evening by washing the disciples’ feet. This was a job for slaves. Therefore, Peter tried to stop Jesus. Jesus did this to set an example of how to serve, but He also did it to illustrate that His coming death and resurrection was to cleanse His people from their sin. But there is another detail I want you to see. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, including Judas. Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him in mere hours. Yet, Jesus served Judas anyway.
How do we deal with discouragement? We look to Jesus for an example. The following points may be helpful to keep in mind as you deal with discouragement.
- Discouragement can lead to sinful attitudes and behaviors if we are not careful. It can lead to bitterness, being unforgiving, anger, and refusing to love others.
- Love of neighbor is not easy. Jesus dealt with this repeatedly in His ministry. Read the story of the healing of ten lepers in Luke 17:12-19. How many returned to thank Him?
- Love of neighbor flows directly from our love of God. Feeling discouraged? Dive deeper into your relationship with the Father and you will be encouraged. The amazing reality of how much God loves us will help us love others. As our love for God grows deeper, we will begin to love what He loves. God loves our neighbors, even the difficult ones.
- Remember that receiving help is hard sometimes. It is normal for people in need to feel guarded when receiving help. Pride often gets in the way for all of us. Asking for help makes us vulnerable. And no one likes to feel vulnerable.
- Yes, some people will scam the system and we will end up getting hurt as we seek to help. Love is risky. But it is worth the risk. One small act of kindness can have a profound impact.
- Remember that God is with you in all of this. Lean on God for strength when you are discouraged and reflect on what God may be teaching you through this time of discouragement.
