XX
DISCOURAGEMENT

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”
--Psalm 42:5

Have you ever asked yourself this question of the Psalmist, when there seemed to be no justifiable reason for your discouragement? Have you ever had moments of unshakable depression when it seemed as if life were not worth living, and yet, when you stopped to consider your affairs, you could see that others were much worse off than yourself and were not making nearly so much fuss about it? No doubt everyone has had the blues, sometimes because of conditions which have thrust themselves suddenly into his experience, and then, again, for no apparent reason. Discouragement is a disease which is no respecter of persons, and for which no antidote has been discovered in the world of medicine. It is a ruthless blight which destroys the flower of hope and the fruit of one’s labors, and leaves nothing behind but a road for itself to travel over again.