“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
. . .And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:12, 17).
The “D” words disappointment, discouragement, disheartened, disillusioned, depression are almost as bad as curse words, in my opinion. It almost seems like the older you are the more these words show up. At least for me that seems to be the case. I could write a whole page on every “D” word mentioned. Much of the time, these words tend to surface in response to another’s actions and decisions. Every time I think I can’t be surprised by what I hear, I’m proven wrong. It amazes me over and over how mindlessly people do things. Maybe you too, feel like encouragement and hope shows up less often than the “D” words do.
Actually, we live in a world where little thought goes into whether we disappoint someone or not, or whether our actions bring discouragement to someone else. Truthfully, as individuals, we try to do all we can to make our lives as simple and stress free as possible. After all, we aren’t responsible for whether someone else misjudges our motives or gets hurt over a broken or delayed promise. That’s their problem. Right? Every man for himself, or so I’ve heard it said many times. It seems the days of putting others first or preferring someone else’s needs or wants before our own are long gone. Those days seemed to exist in a bygone era, back when our parents and grandparents were young.
Be encouraged, those days are not entirely gone. There are still many people who try to put themselves in someone else’s place by asking: “How would I feel if I were standing on the other side hearing what is being said when a decision is being made that would disappoint or discourage me?”
We must learn by example. I taught my children that we learn as much about what not to do as about what we should do while we watch how others are treated. Whether good or bad, I choose to consider more than whether my actions just make life easier for me. I want to be the source of encouragement, not disappointment or discouragement. I want all I do to be done as unto the Lord.
