What obstacles are you facing right now? Do the hurdles in front of you seem too high to jump? Often the hurdle facing us is a negative emotion, like fear, discouragement or anxiety.
Have you ever watched the Olympic hurdlers? You might have noticed that they keep their focus on the finish line, not the hurdle in front of them. The enemy of our souls loves to throw negative thoughts into our minds. Those thoughts can result in paralyzing emotions that threaten to throw us off course or to quit the race.
My latest book, Simple Prayers, Powerful Results, almost didn’t get written because of a negative emotion that raised its ugly head at a Christian writers’ conference. My sole reason for attending was to learn how to write devotions, one of the featured topics at the meeting. But on a whim I attended an evening session on fiction writing. The instructor invited us to share our book ideas with the assurance that any comments from her would be instructive and encouraging.
I mustered up courage and presented my rough idea of a trilogy. Was it my imagination or did the temperature in the room drop ten degrees? The instructor suddenly morphed from encouraging and friendly to discouraging and critical. Her response was crushing: “What does it matter? Who cares?” Not one nice word did she utter concerning my book proposal. I left that meeting in utter despair.
The next morning I fought back tears as her critical words echoed over and over in my mind like paralyzing thought bombs. What was the point in staying for the rest of the classes? Discouragement shouted at me to pack up and go home. My dream of getting published seemed hopeless.
But God had another plan, one I could not yet see. In desperation I asked the Lord for an encouraging word and randomly opened my Bible. The only verse I read seemed irrelevant to the hurdle I was facing. I closed my Bible, still discouraged. With my emotions in tatters, I decided to press forward and finish out the conference.
That afternoon I attended the class on writing devotions. The instructor started the class by reading two verses of Scripture. The second one was exactly the verse I had read that morning! How did God do that? He hadn’t forgotten my request for encouragement. It just came a little later than I expected. My spirits lifted.
I met with that instructor after class. She bought a copy of my first book, Seven Secrets to Power Praying and liked it so much that she asked me to write a Bible study on prayer.
If I had let the hurdle of discouragement get the better of me, Simple Prayers, Powerful Results would never have been published.
Are you struggling with doubts, fears or anxieties? Has someone’s critical comment thrown you off course?
The Lord encourages us not to give up but to run the race before us with our eyes fixed on Him and what He has called us to do regardless of any obstacles.
What hurdles are you facing today? Could it be that you are actually on the right course, but the enemy wants to discourage or thwart you from pressing forward?
Don’t let negative emotions or adverse circumstances throw you off course. Find a quiet place, relax and pray this simple prayer: “Lord, what is Your truth about this (emotion, circumstance, comment)?” Write down the thoughts that come to mind. Forgive the person for their hurtful comments. Ask for His peace and encouragement to move forward.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap
a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9 NIV).