When life has killed the dream...

Discouragement. It's a sly dog. Slipping in without much fuss and then before you know it it's messed with your whole perspective on life.

In India we faced many things that could have been discouraging, but my eyes were focused on The Lord, knowing His Word and being guided by His heart, so discouragement had no place in me. I spent my days rejoicing in the face of the suffering I saw because I was filled with the hope and life that trumps whatever our physical conditions are.
As we moved on, closer to home, things got even more discouraging and it was tempting to give in to the emotion. However, turning to Jesus, pouring out my heart to Him and my team, we reflected on the faithfulness and desire to bless us that The Lord has and we thanked Him and praised Him for it. Then our perspective was renewed, and we saw that He had doubled our blessings in this new location, this harder location.
When I got home the discouraging circumstances multiplied again... Canceled flights, snow storms stranding me in Chicago, sickness, jet lag, loneliness, lack of purpose, etc. When I brought these before The Lord and made petitions I was always refreshed by His unexplainable peace and joy, but when I let the discouragement take root I saw the bitter effects in my attitude and outlook.

Discouragement (and its slimy partner, Doubt) comes to everyone, even the most steadfast and unwavering believers. Our God will work it together for our good, using it to strengthen our dependence and deepen our faith in Him rather than our circumstances, if we will cast our cares upon Him. But how do we keep encouraged? If discouragement is going to come, as believers what do we cling to as unchanging encouragement in the face of it?

Perhaps you are waiting to see His promises fulfilled and the wait has seemed too long... Maybe you are walking forward in faith as The Lord has directed and with each step forward the chance of ever reaching your goal is made to appear more impossible than the last... Perhaps your family member has developed cancer and you don't know how to walk through it with them or encourage them... Maybe you can't make financial ends meet... TAKE HEART. Our God is in the resurrection business and He will never leave you, which means that He is always with you! Take that in.. "The God of angel armies is always by [your] side." Never dwell on the discouragement. Ever. Set your mind and heart on The Lord, His past faithfulness, His present blessings, His constant mercy and abounding love for you. Seek His face in the truths of His Word and in prayer -- thanking Him and asking Him to do what He certainly will, come through and have His way in your circumstances.

One of my greatest joys is to be an encouragement to others. It flows naturally out of me when I'm living rejoicing in The Lord, regardless of my circumstances. Staying encouraged is a choice, because drawing near to Jesus every moment is a choice, but it is worth it -- not only for my own life but for every life that mine touches.

K. P. Yohannan has written as short and encouraging book called "Stay Encouraged". You can read it in 30min and begin applying the truths immediately! You can have your free copy shipped to you by ordering here. I suggest that after you've read it and been blessed that you pay it forward and pass it along to another person you know who could use the same encouragement!

Changing the world for two

Statistics. Isn't it crazy how numbers can cause us to feel so small, so helpless, so overwhelmed?
Lives. Isn't it nuts that every single, precious, significant, beautiful life has been hand-crafted and brought into this world by the power of our loving God?
Change. Is it just me or is the fact that change is possible an incredible reality to you too?

HOPE

I watch documentaries and YouTube videos, read books and blogs and websites, listen to interviews and speakers at conferences and keep getting informed, becoming aware, of the great NEED worldwide for the all-powerful, boundless love of our God.

I see those faces, I hear their voices, I know a little bit about the lives they live. All the vulnerable children in the world... A five year old girl with huge chocolate eyes in India, a little boy who loves playing soccer in Peru, an 11yr old girl in Uganda who is desperate to be loved, a 15yr old boy in foster care dealing with the bitter pain of rejection... Each one has a name and a face and a story.

Our God's ways are so beyond our own, He weaves lives together with such precision and care. The life of an Indian man named K.P. Yohannan who started a ministry to reach the people of his country and the rest of Asia with the Gospel writes a book. A girl in Wisconsin reads the book and is moved by the Lord to sponsor a child. Together with all the employees at World Vision and at Gospel for Asia, the girl from Wisconsin has changed the world for not just one but TWO of those precious [previously] vulnerable children. Oh, praise the One who sees fit to use our humble lives for His kingdom and glory!

My darling sponsored children. I am so in love!

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." 

|| Mother Teresa

(Buy the print of this quote by Mother Teresa and help enable me to go and show Jesus love to the least in India this November!)

A life that is committed to wait on Him will always be effective, 

because the ministry originated with Him is fulfilled by Him. 

--K.P. Yohannan