Buried alive

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a cloud of discouragement unable to see anything ahead of or behind you? Or used all the tools you had and tried everything possible to push through its muck, yet you still couldn’t find the strength to plow through? It’s like being shoved in a pit and buried alive. No matter how loud you scream or how strong you think you are, there’s no way out. You’re stuck, and all you hear are endless lies like “you’ll never make it out”, “you’re not smart enough to figure a way out”, “just forget it, you’re not cut out for this”. But somehow all along you knew the problem wasn’t believing whether or not you KNEW how to handle the situation, or believed in yourself to handle it, it was being strong enough with the tools you had to push hard through the muck and get to the other side alive.

The cloud of discouragement usually forms when you try something new, develop skills, and are surrounded by gifted and skillful people you struggle to avoid comparing yourself to. It often comes by surprise and can come while you’re in a peak of joy, or when you’re experiencing the blues. It will creep up on you unexpectedly, and probably when you are feeling your strongest. Everything else in the world will seem unreachable and you will find yourself wanting to give up more than ever. If you are a perfectionist overcomer, it will probably feel like you ran face first into a glass wall, and along side of being surrounded by discouragement you’ll create your own. Don’t be fooled; discouragement usually begins with a minor detail that quickly attracts an army of truth-sucking leeches that strip you of your worth. When it clings to you it has the power to overtake you.

Lies alone, on the other hand, can bury you quicker than you can find strength to rebuke them. It’s one thing to listen to them, and another to act on them. The minute they find your ears and you allow them to latch on to your mind you’re in for a battle. Your world quickly turns ugly because if you believe the lies are true, you believe the truth is a lie. The devastating part is that if you allow them, lies will wrap themselves around each other and eventually form such a powerful resistance in you that each truth you even attempt to bring against each lie will repel. Before you know it you’ll find yourself so entangled in the lies that suffocating in them becomes normal. That is an extremely dangerous place to be and if you continue feeding those lies to your mind you’ll continue to spiral downward.

Give yourself the benefit of knowing that it's natural for this process to be painful. Lies are not pleasant, and discouragement is not uplifting. All of it pierces your heart, it stings and it burns... it just plain hurts. Don't feel guilty for feeling the way you do. Instead, take a breather, refocus, take care of business, and surround yourself with people who can be an encouragement TO you. This is not a fight you should or can face alone.

However and whenever the cloud forms and lies linger around you, realize they are demons you must destroy. And remember, you can have all the tools to fight against the lies and discouragement, but you’ll fail if you try to fight alone. The power that’s at work within you is real, and only if used while partnering with your Number One Fan, will the lies will be shattered and the cloud of discouragement dissipate. So, see yourself with eternal eyes and trust that whatever challenges you face are just another reason to believe you CAN push through the muck, and another reason for you to appreciate how far you HAVE come. Here’s an idea: when you sense the cloud and hear the lies, choose to immediately encounter the One who’s already fighting for you. Once you believe His word about you, which is everything opposite of the CRAP whispered in your ear during those new adventures, you are empowered to speak the very truth that buries those lies alive.
…Believe in Him, and believe in yourself. You ARE a conqueror of mighty worth to your King and others, and you have been divinely placed right where you are for many reasons. Stand firm, keep pushing, and be free! :)