One Step Forward

I’m not sure if the idiom says, “Two steps forward and one step back” or “One step forward and two steps back,” but either way, I’ve experienced it.  These experiences have brought me feelings of frustration, anger, and despair.  If I don’t realign myself, I could get depressed—very depressed.  This is how I encourage myself:

1. God’s more interested in who I’m becoming rather than what I accomplish.  Before the beginning of time, God predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).  It’s not about my accomplishments, but about the purpose of God. 

2. God is faithful.  Paul says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).  I hear Paul telling me, “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed.  God will not abandon or desert His project.”

3. God wants me to trust Him.  Over and over, Scripture reminds us that the righteous shall live by faith.  After the Apostle Paul confessed, “We despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death” he quickly reoriented himself by saying, “but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead…on Him we have set our hope…” (II Corinthians 1:8-10).  I will be disappointed, discouraged, and disillusioned if my hopes, dreams, and expectations are in the wrong place. 

There is a saying: “Work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends on God.”  I know that I need realignment when I work like everything depends on God and pray like everything depends on me.