Sometimes in my life, I have felt like a failure. When I was in grade school, the teacher and my mom diagnosed me with dyslexia. My reading was slow and I struggled with comprehension. Daily I was reminded by my disability that I didn’t measure up. I was a failure. Plus your test scores give you absolute proof. You failed. By God’s grace at work in my life and lots of dedication that He instigated, I got better and better until now it is hard to tell I ever had a problem. However, sometimes I still feel slow, and like a failure. When I was diagnosed by a doctor with the Ebstein-Barr Virus at 40 years of age, I also felt like a failure. Once again I was in the valley of discontent with no sense from anyone of how I could get out. It was a long, long struggle for years to get better, but now in my 60s, people can hardly tell that much of my 40s was filled with barriers and limitations that I never felt I could get over. Maybe you too have fallen into the valley of discontent like me. I still fall into smaller ditches of discontent and sometimes I feel overwhelmed as a failure, unable to meet my goals, not able to do what I longed and dreamed of doing and even envious of others who can. I tell you all this because I’ve learned a few things in the valley of discontent and I thought that maybe those things could help you find your way out, like I did. Even though sometimes I still slip into the valley and have to climb my way out again. I could give you lots of little practical things to do to get out and they would be helpful. But if I could encourage you to do one thing, it would be this - the most important thing of all - never, never, never give up and surrender to yourself. Fight yourself, resist yourself, turn from yourself over and over again and surrender to Christ. He can get you through, He can get you out. You will fail, and you are a failure in millions of ways. But in Christ, you cannot fail. The Apostle Paul calls it “The Secret” in Philippians 4:11-13, “The Secret” to contentment even in our discontent. If you are negative, depressed and discontent like I’ve been over and over again, I plead with you to look for “the secret” passage out of the Valley of Discontent. It is not in yourself or your hopes and dreams. It is in Christ. Follow Him. Only He can get you out. Really! Only He can get you out. It worked for Paul, for me, and for you too if you give your life totally to Him.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:47:02 +0000
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