Discouragement – it’s a sickness everyone catches from time to time. I thought about giving you an official definition of the word from Webster’s Dictionary, but I decided against it because unfortunately, everyone knows what discouragement means and how it feels. But know this, discouragement is not abnormal. Biblical heroes such as Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the Apostle Paul struggled with it.

When things don’t go the way we planned, when people disappoint us and hurt us, when God seems distant, it is easy to get discouraged. I have walked that path many times. The Bible tells us to be like King David, a man who encouraged himself in the Lord. We are told to put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. And Hebrews 3:13 tells us to encourage each other daily.

Take the time to try to encourage someone today. Be a builder - build someone up. It’s so easy to tear someone down - with words, with looks, even in ignorance. But instead, make a conscious choice to speak life, hope, and love to someone today. They might just really need it.