Anyone ever rain on your parade?
You ever share your vision or goals with someone with enthusiasm and passion, only for them to discourage you?
Or, have you ever had a huge You-can-never-do-this-type of obstacle in the way of accomplishing your vision?
I remember in high school, a person very close to me told me I was not smart enough to graduate from Brigham Young University (BYU). Man. . .that hurt, bad.
I remember some of my teammates at BYU telling me I was too small to play in the NFL. They were jealous, so I tried to ignore them; still hurt, though.
In recent times, I was told that attempting to plant a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church was too hard and not worth the effort. The logic was, “Why plant a multi-ethnic church when over 93% of churches in America on Sunday are ethnically segregated. Why try to fight an uphill battle?”
So how do you fight through discouragement?
First, know that God has called you to accomplish the vision He has tattooed in your heart! And how do you know for sure? You don’t. You must wrestle with God and say, “Jesus, I’m not letting You go until You give me a limp so I will remember that You called me to accomplish this vision.”
Second, if you are married, what does your spouse say about the vision you’re trying to make into a reality? In healthy, “Jesus, You are all up in this marriage” marriages, your spouse will know you better than anyone else. My girlfriend, who’s been my wife for almost twenty years, told me I could plant a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church that could impact the world! She believed in me. She inspires me to be the man God has created me to be.
If you’re single, ask the wisest people you know and who know you. Share your vision or goals with them. Don’t ask fools, or you will get a foolish answer.
Third, be true to yourself. You must know your gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. If you don’t, you will delude yourself and live a life that is not in touch with reality, which in turn will negatively impact those in your sphere of influence.
Sometimes, the discouragement acts as fuel to empower us to accomplish our vision or goals.
