"I know this is only temporary, but I still find that I get discouraged by the process." Can you relate? Kathy Spampinato

This week I am struggling through jetlag! I am fine one minute, and feel completely depleted of energy the next. I sleep until I am compelled to get up and get moving, but I know I am still not really rested - especially if it is only 4 am. Ugh. I know this is only temporary, but I still find that I get discouraged by the process. I realize that the blessing of my overseas trip comes with an adjustment time. My body does not want to change its natural cycle and make a 6 hour shift. It is tough!

For me, one of the quickest ways to get discouraged is to get really tired and spent. The jetlag is just a picture of what can happen when life leaves me lacking. If I have run out of steam, I will wake up in the morning still so tired that I barely have the strength or willpower to get dressed. I realize that my own determination can propel me for quite a while, but I cannot live like this. I will get disappointed and discouraged about life because exhaustion is speaking! Whatever situation brings you to this point, I know you can relate. It is a part of life, but where do we go from here?

God will sometimes take us beyond our abilities and beyond our determination to reveal the depths of our hearts to us. We have hidden resources that are not revealed until we are faced with a situation that is beyond our own strength. If we are never moved to function beyond our comfort zone, we will never learn what we are really capable of. When we depend on God to supply strength in our exhaustion, we find we are capable of much more than we thought possible. We are stretched until we find the end of ourselves and discover that the grace of God is there, available to us. How wonderful!

Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

We can soar over our limitations and be carried on the current of God’s Spirit. The eagle is not expending any energy when it is carried by air currents. It simply chooses to let the wind propel it where it needs to go. We can run farther than we ever imagined in the power of God. We can learn to walk steadily for long distances in the Holy Spirit. When we find ourselves in the day of exhaustion and our resources are gone, we need to realize where our strength dwells. We need to seek rest and refreshment from the Lord.

It is okay to see discouragement waiting for us and decide to make changes. We can re-order our responsibilities, re-align our priorities, and drop a few things that can wait. It may be as simple as leaving the wash or the lawn for another day, taking a nap, or going to bed an hour earlier for a few days. At other times, it could require us to make some changes about activities, commitments, or lifestyle. Without God supplying the vital ingredients of peace of mind and rest, we won’t have the energy and vitality to combat our discouragement.

Sometimes God has to teach us to follow Him and say “No!” to others. You may have to resist guilt and shame even as you obey God, if you have unreasonable expectations of yourself. You might have to disappoint someone else as you learn where God is specifically directing you. The Word promises that God has your back. Do not expend your energy and yourself on things He has not called you to do. You might be tempted to despair, to give up, or give into sin, but remember the promise of scripture. God will enable you and equip you for all that He asks of you.

Psalm 127:2 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

God has designed rest and recuperation for you, and for me. If you exhaust yourself doing good things for God that He did not ask for, you have wasted all that effort. It was in vain.

Are you seeing that you are expending energy on too many things? Ask the Lord to clarify where your priorities should lie. Is He telling you to make adjustments? Seek God for times of refreshing from His Spirit.

1 Peter 5: 10 "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

God’s desire is for you to cast all your anxieties on him. He wants to restore your hope and confirm His call and direction for your life. He will strengthen your determination and energy level. Wait on Him! He will establish you firmly, grounding you in the truth and fortifying your strength in Him.

• This article contains excerpts from my book, "Overcoming Disappointment and Discouragement". It is available on the website, kingdomkourage.com