By Lois Evans
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.” – PSALM 42:11
Kay James, a wonderful Christian woman who was once a member of President George Bush’s administration, said that the only difference between people who succeed and people who fail is that the ones who succeed get up again after they fail.
For most of us, the feeling of failure and discouragement is at its strongest when we are in the middle of a difficult trial. As a mother, my times of trial are often related to the challenges of child-rearing. Surely every mother has experienced those times when the only thing that keeps you going is knowing that you have to keep going. Children can make decisions that are hard to accept, especially after you have invested your all in them.
But whether your struggle today is your children, your marriage, your work, or any one of a hundred other things, let the psalmist’s question and ringing affirmation remind you that discouragement never has to be final for the Christian. Even when all you can do is cry out to the Lord for the grace to continue in spite of your feelings, He will answer your cry.
And because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (see 1John 4:4), you can get up from any failure or discouragement and live a victorious life – even today!
A passage of Scripture that has kept me strong on many occasions: “I love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:1-3)
Thank you. I have just come to your site tonight, and have been tremendously encouraged by everything that I have listened to and watched. While I am not yet a Pastor’s wife, I will be soon enough, and can strongly identify with how you described feeling when Mr. Evans first spoke with you in regard to his developing ministry position. I look forward to visiting the site often. I have been a Christian for about four years now, and have had difficulty finding a mentor, and perhaps you may be able to fill that position via this site. I thank you for sharing truthfully how you have and do feel about situations in your life. Too often we are tempted to put on a good show, so as to put forward a good face, instead of allowing our experience to be encouragement to another, so that they know that they are not alone. May God bless this ministry in a glorious way, and use it to develop many wonderful mentors for those younger ladies around the world who are seeking wisdom from elder women and not finding it. I know so many young ladies in my area, that share in this desire, please pray that God would raise up a fleet of women who are qualified by God to lead the young ladies in CT. Again, thank you!