Feeling discouraged... How I deal with it.

I like words (I don't mind Paris Hilton, but I prefer Paul Teutul... Don't worry it will all make sense once you read this post).

Like the little picture I posted yesterday, words can be understood from many different ways. They are rich and symbolic.

A word carries some inherent meaning (for example the English word 'dog' could make one think of an animal that barks). However, the hearer or speaker of the word also adds their own meaning (often called an inferred meaning) to it (for example when Paris Hilton says dog she thinks of one of those tiny little doggies (hers is called 'Tinekerbell' that you can put in your handbag. Whereas Paul Tuetel thinks of a dog he thinks of his dog 'Gus' - a pitbull of sorts).

The word for today is discouraged.

adjective
	1	demoralized, demoralised, discouraged, disheartened
				made less hopeful or enthusiastic; "desperate demoralized people looking for work"; "felt discouraged by the magnitude of the problem"; "the disheartened instructor tried vainly to arouse their interest"
	2	discouraged
				lacking in resolution; "the accident left others discouraged about going there"

The word is made up of two elements, courage, and the condition of being without courage. To be dis- couraged is to have your courage removed or dis-located. Of course the antonym of dis-couraged is to be en-couraged (to have courage placed within you).

I was shaken by Pete Grassow's post 'Shame on you'. At first when I read it I was dis-couraged. But then I realised that this is no a post of discouragement - in fact it is a courageous post (a post of en-couragement). It reflects a reality that is filled with hope, it is the hope that says there is a better way for humanity, shame on those who do not choose it. In fact, whilst it may sound discouraged, it is filled (from my perspective) with a sentiment of hope for what things could be like.

But, words can be powerful that way...

Sometimes I loose my courage to live on the side of hope. Sometimes I feel that darkness will overcome the light (like when I read posts such as those about Bishop Tutu below). But, that is NOT the truth!

The truth is that this is God's universe. I am God's servant, and all of us (even those whom I don't particularly understand or like) are loved by this courageous God. There is no greater hope than that!!

So, I pray for courage - the kind of courage from which I cannot be separated. I pray for the courage to do what is right, even when others loose hope and give up around me. I need it!

I remind myself that everyone lacks courage to do what is required from time to time. That is why I need to live in commuity with the God of courage and the people who courageously choose to live for that God. They 'en-courage' me. So, it is about keeping the courage in, and not letting too much of it run out...

That's how I deal with it... What do you do?

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