Discouraged?

​My favorite movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In the beginning of the movie, two angels discuss the condition of a man on earth who is struggling. George Bailey has been through tremendous disappointments, financial collapse, and war; his dreams had been crushed.

When we meet him, he just does not know where to turn. It is over for him, he thinks, and he contemplates taking his life. Two angels, Joseph and Franklin, summon another angel, Clarence, and say to him, “We are going to send you down to George Bailey. George is in big trouble right now.” And Clarence asks, “Oh, is he sick?” Franklin responds, “No, worse, he’s discouraged.”

Think about that. Is he sick? Is he dying? “No, worse, he’s discouraged.” To be in a place where you think you are just done, where you think it is over, is worse than facing sickness or death. The word “courage” comes from the Latin root cor, meaning “heart.” To be discouraged means to lose heart. There is nothing left.

George Bailey’s worst moment is not when he loses his dad or when he almost loses his building loan. His worst moment is the moment he loses heart. Have you ever been there, thinking, it is over; it is done; what can I do with this? Where can I go from here? Think about this for a moment.

Go to Jesus and ask Him, Give Me a Heart like Yours. How do you get to the place where you say, “Jesus, I know you love me, so I can ask you for anything, and I can say yes to anything you give me”? How do you get to the place where you can say, “Lord, my heart is being broken, but I am not going to lose heart”? “Lord, I find myself in your broken heart, and I am not destroyed, not abandoned”? 

The answer is simple and difficult. Think about what Jesus did on the cross. Then you will see the heart of Jesus. Let me ask you a question.  Do you have a heart like Jesus?

Make Every Day Count!

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