Finding Freedom From Discouragement

By Jenna Gray

Are you feeling weary from life? As children, we all had high hopes for the future, but disappointments in relationships, career and even health can make life miserable. Some have given up on their dreams of a better life and are simply trying to survive. If you feel discouraged, burned out, or depressed, then you are not alone. Yet, life does not have to be miserable. The Bible has answers to your discouragement. This short book will help you process your disappointments from a Christian perspective so that you can live with greater joy and purpose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jenna Gray
• Release date: Apr 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463800959

Book preview

Finding Freedom from Discouragement

Jenna Gray

Published by Jenna Gray at Smashwords

ISBN 9780463800959

copyright 2020

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

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https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.grabsky

Cover by Jenna Gray

Finding Freedom from Discouragement

Contents

Chapter 1: It Starts in Your Head

Chapter 2: When Circumstances Weigh You Down

Chapter 3: Longing for Love

Chapter 4: When Things Remain Unchanged

Chapter 1

It Starts in Your Head

Most of us enter life with high hopes. Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and you may get answers such as an astronaut, a movie star, or a baseball player. Children dream big because they believe the possibilities are endless.

Somewhere along the way, children learn that not all dreams are realistic. Dreams begin to change into more realistic goals, but the longer we live, the more difficult we find it is to pursue even small dreams. Dreams do not come as easily as we thought they would when we were young. But it isn’t just a sought-after job that’s at stake. During the teenage years, people start yearning for romantic love. We long for someone to share our lives with, but relationships are difficult. People can be unpredictable. People can break your heart.

One day, you find yourself grown up and you wonder why you wanted to grow up so badly.

The experience of life is different for different people. Some people seem to have it all while other people struggle to make connections with others. Some seem to climb the ladder of success with ease while others can’t seem to find a decent paying job. At some point, you may wonder what the point of life is. You may be utterly discouraged and weary. You may be ready to give up.

Before you give up, consider the possibility that you may have been going through life with the wrong focus. Once your perspective changes, life can be different.

Feeling Weary

Are you feeling weary from life? There are many ways to describe this experience: discouraged, empty, or burned out. The strongest level of weariness is depression. Depression varies in intensity, from mild to severe. You can be mildly depression and still function. You may even be happy from time to time. But depression holds you back from truly enjoying life.

The main focus of this book is discouragement. You can be discouraged and not depressed, but all depressed people are discouraged. Since many who are reading this are struggling with depression, we will cover that topic briefly. The proposed solution is the same for both depression and discouragement.

Depression differs from sadness because it is accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and low self-worth. Other symptoms may include difficulty concentrating, agitation, lack of motivation, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and changes in appetite.

Theories abound on the best way to treat depression, from medication to various types of talk therapy. Yet, the Bible holds many answers that can, at