Days of Discouragement

I know I’m not the only one who at times feels discouraged. Today was one of those days. I didn’t sleep well (again), the sky was gray with clouds of pollution, the air was a mass of sticky humidity, and in spite of my best efforts, nothing I did to prepare for class was sticking in my brain. I should’ve known better than to step on the scale for my mid-week weigh in. Continuing on with everything else that was out of sync, the scale reported that I had gained 2 pound!!! What the heck?? I wanted to throw up my hands and say “Forget it! I’m doing all the right things and nothing seems to be working. What’s the point?” I felt like a complete failure. Sound familiar?

Galatians 6:7-9 says this:
Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. Those who sow to please their sinful nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This principle is good not only for the spiritual part of our lives but also in the physical areas. God has a design and an order for how things happen, even though it’s not always in the time frame we think it should be in. This is not to say that these principles of sowing and reaping are set in stone. We don't always reap the good or the bad consequences of our actions. We still live in a broken world and things are not always going to be fair. Jesus himself said that things would be unfair, but that we should press on in love regardless of the fairness or unfairness of the circumstances. (Matt 5:44-45) Whether it’s people I am discouraged about or situations that I have not control over, my job is to press on and love in the process.. The Chinese have a specific saying for this. They often yell it at sporting events or to encourage each other. They say “JiaYou! JiaYou! (Gi as in giant...Yo!) It literally means “Add Oil or Keep Going!” As a Christian, I find this not only encouraging but interesting. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often represented by oil. The Oil of the Spirit is a soothing balm to heal wounds, used to anoint someone for service, or poured out as supernatural power to help someone accomplish a difficult task. When we’re discouraged, we need to hear the Holy Spirit's voice saying, “JiaYou!JiaYou!” and to remember that we are not in this alone. He is walking with us even in our times of weariness and we will reap the rewards of our labor...if we don’t give up!