Fork in the Road

As I was discouraged yesterday I wanted to get to the heart of why I was discouraged. So I asked myself 2 questions: Why do I get discouraged? and Is it ok to feel discouraged? As I honestly thought about the answers, these are some reasons I found for my own discouragement: expectations not met, weariness, pain, and suffering. As I came up with these reasons, I wondered what the Bible says about these things. 2 areas in the Bible came to mind. The first was the book of 1 Peter about Christian suffering and that we will suffer. The second was Matthew 6:33 and the call not to be anxious but to seek God's kingdom first. As I thought further on these passages, I then asked, "Is it ok to feel discouraged?" As a person, our initial response to expectations not being met, weariness, pain, and suffering is discouragement. It dawned on me that the question I shouldn't be asking is, "Is it ok to feel discouraged?" but "How am I going to respond now?" That point of discouragement is that fork in the road where I am going to choose to follow the tendencies of my flesh and respond in selfishness or to choose to follow Jesus and respond in righteousness. This is a huge "Aha" moment for me because another question I am often asking myself is, "How do I find joy in Jesus Christ?" It's been difficult answering that question because at that point of discouragement, I often choose to continue to stay discouraged and I trudge through the trenches on my own strength instead of depending on Jesus to carry me. 1 Peter 3:17 says "For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." Suffering, expectations not being met, weariness, and pain is a guarantee of the Christian life. Am I going to walk on the road of self or am I going to walk on the road of righteousness?