By Brenda Cannon Henley
“God has forgotten me,” wrote a dear friend early this morning. I read her comments a second and third time because I knew in my heart that this friend of many years was a committed Christian and a firm believer in the Word of God. I also knew that she did not really mean this and that something very unpleasant had caused her to voice this feeling so publicly. What could have gone so wrong in her life to cause her to feel that God had literally forsaken her? How could we, her friends, have missed the warning signs and not be attentive to her pain and suffering? How could we have helped her before she got to this point?

I quickly scanned through the comments that other friends, family members, and acquaintances had written to encourage this believer, but I was a bit disappointed to realize that no one had come right out and written the obvious truth. She had been told to “stand strong” in her faith. She had been encouraged not to “give up in her daily life.” This kind woman had been told that she was loved and cared for by many. But, the one thing that had not been validated was that truthfully every person I know most likely feels like she does at some point in his or her life. I honestly do not know what specific thing can cause you to feel defeated, other than to tell you it is the work of the Devil.

One of his great weapons is discouragement and that overwhelming discouragement often leads to inactivity. We begin to feel sorry in our circumstances and we become stagnant in the great pool of life. We lament, “No one has ever had it as badly as I do.” “No one understands me.” “My children do not love me and they certainly do not make time for me in their busy lives.” “I have no money and, therefore, I cannot do what my friends are doing.” “I am very sick and no one cares.” “I love someone who doesn’t love me back the way he or she should.” “My life will never get any better than it is now.”

Truth is, my friend, that each of us has to stop, take note, rely on the non-changing Word of God and realize that His mercies fail not. God loved us, He loves us now, and He will love us forever, no matter how badly we feel or how little we think we are contributing to society as a whole. Read Lamentations, Chapter 3, Verses 20-25. “My soul hath been in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore, I have hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, said my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.”

Men and women will fail us. No matter how much you love them and how much they love you, humankind will not always do what we feel is right or good, or in our best interest. Each individual has the power to hurt others. God is the only love that will endure through the ages in a perfect sense. When we begin to feel “down” and “out of sorts,” I have found that we should check for a physical reason. Are we ill? Does our body need some help? Should we see a trusted physician? In my own personal life, I know that when I am overtired, stressed, or worried, I tend to get more easily discouraged. Do I need to eat differently? Certainly, I should allot more time for rest and a time to be alone in the Word of God. Do I need to say an honest “I am sorry,” and mend a relationship? Do I need to pay a debt?

One thing that usually helps me is to consciously recall (and even list if necessary) the things God has done for me in the past. As I start to remember the Lord’s goodness to me, I see how he cared for me in the past and I have no reason to believe he has changed any at all and that he will feel differently today than he did yesterday. He is the same yesterday, tomorrow, and forever.

The second thing I have found it good to do for me is that when I am feeling discouraged and despondent, I try to think of some small thing to do for someone else. It is amazing how God will use our own act to help someone else to encourage us. Before I have completed my plan, I am usually smiling and feeling much better.

God loves my friend with an everlasting love, and he loves you and me with that same love. He doesn’t want us to be sad, censored, and defeated. “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1)

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788 or at [email protected].

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