THE CHILDREN’S STORY CORNER:

DISCOURAGEMENT

Discouragement is a nasty little tool of the devil, but very valuable to him. He can use it on just about everyone with quite a bit of success. For children it can involve learning something new, going to new schools or being rejected. Just about anything you can think of can be a source of discouragement. Grownups have these and many more things that can upset them, also. So if your parent is upset, just remember, they may be having a hard time with something and try to be extra helpful.

When we’re discouraged, we often don’t want to even try because we may be afraid of failing. For instance, think of trying to ride a bike or skates. The only way you can learn is by doing it over and over, perhaps falling many times but not giving up until you are able to do it. Once you do learn something new, you then feel there is nothing to it. I can’t tell you how hard it was for me to learn to skate because I was blind in one eye and couldn’t see things that could (and did) trip me. But once I learned, it was easy to check around me when skating. The trick is to remember the things you were able to do and learn in the past, and then make up your mind to keep trying until you win over with whatever new thing has come your way.

The same thing holds true at school. Having to memorize the times-tables when you first started seemed so very hard, but now you don’t give it a second thought. No matter what you have to learn, it can be done, especially if you ask for the Lord’s help. Some things need more effort and patience than others, but these will help you grow strong.

There is a story of how Satan sent out his imp, whose name was Discouragement, to upset people. He would perch on their shoulders and whisper things to upset and make them feel downcast. He would smirk when reporting back to the devil at how successful he had been. Satan sent him next time to a Christian, but the man would always repeat a scripture promise about how God was there to help him, and he did it right out loud to fight against this imp’s negative thoughts. At last the imp gave up, went back to the Devil, and told him, “Now I am discouraged!”

So, may you always be prepared with a promise from the Lord and then when you are tempted to be discouraged, you will have a Victory instead. Your Aunt Vivien