The Hope QuotientSample

Unchecked discouragement is a lethal disease. There’s no vaccine for it. Discouragement isn’t like chickenpox—get it once, done. Discouragement repeats as often as you let it. You’ll catch it more than once. You’ll have to check it more than once. 

Recently I told my wife, “I’m a little discouraged.” She said, “What are you doing today?” I said, “Writing on how not to be discouraged.”  

At times, discouragement has overwhelmed me. I once received a rejection letter from a church that had asked me to apply as their pastor. Wait! You called me! That letter put me in an emotional tailspin. I thought, God, why --? 

All I could see at the time was rejection, but God was up to something. Not much later, a group called wanting to start a church. That church became Bayside, where I now am. It’s blown away anything I ever dreamed.  

Unchecked discouragement is also a contagious disease. You catch it from discouraging people.  

We’d never confine ourselves with someone who has a contagious disease. Yet we often hang out with people who have discouragement, which can be harder to overcome than physical disease.  

You could say people are one of two types: those who build up and those who tear down. When you hang with the tearing down kind, discouragement is extremely contagious. In fact, spend just fifteen minutes with an energy-sapping person and you’ll get discouraged. 

A few years ago, my wife and I made a decision that if someone was too discouraging, we wouldn’t spend much time with them. Why? Because there is no way I can be at my best if I am discouraged.  

Unchecked discouragement destroys. Check it. 

Think Up: 

Watch who you hang out with.  

How can you get an infusion of hope? (Read on).