Discouragement - Courage, Determination and Persistence

Discouragement.  It's no stranger to any of us.  Whether it's from a goal that we can't reach, a marriage that we can't make work, personal issues that we can't solve, or friendships that we can't mend...we all become discouraged.  Sometimes our discouragement is based on the size of the challenge that we face or the fact that the issue keeps raising its ugly head regardless of our many attempts to bury it forever.  Sometimes it's our own fatigue or the exhaustion that we feel in all of our failed attempts to finally get to where we want to go.

Discouragement can be completely debilitating.  It can cause us to believe that there's no hope, no solution, no way out or no way in.  Yet, because we're discouraged does not mean that the battle is lost.  It simply means that we might have to change our approach, alter our tactics, determine if we're fighting the right battle in the right way, and reengage in a better way.  In essence, we've got to develop courage, determination and persistence.  Because if we can develop and strengthen these traits and then utilize them with wisdom, we've got a good shot at beating what's been beating us.