We never grow old on monster movies.  Various creatures are staples of film ever since the initial movies began to filter out.  Writers and directors started almost 100 years ago putting the stories of these characters on the screen.  Many of them stand the test of time even eighty years after their release.  It was fifty years ago that the Japanese introduced us to their leading man.  Godzilla is still making films no matter how many times he wipes out parts of Japan.  He returns this weekend for yet another update on the original tale.  Humanity savors the idea of facing down these foes no matter the odds.  Victory is not an option in the story.  This never means there will not be another one to come along but we soldier on anyway. 

Believers do not always enjoy the same winning percentage when dealing with our own monsters we face.  It is easier when the demons we face reveal their nature with scary faces.  What throws us is when our foe conceals his nature behind a façade.  Our once grand confidence in God fades into the night while we yield to our lesser natures.  Discouragement is one of those perils we deal with regularly.  I truly do not know if authentic growth is possible without wrestling this temptation.  People who are content to stay where they are never get discouraged.  Compare that to the characters in scripture who confront this prospect while following God in the journey.  The problem is not if God is big enough to handle this conflict but whether or not our hopes are too small from the start.

We face discouragement in various fashions.  It is not a one size fits all malady.  Being disillusioned is a low grade symptom we deal with.  Notice this is about our illusions rather than God's reality.  Our expectations begin out of line with the truth so we damage our own heart along the way.  It runs all the way to full fledged depression.  We become angry about the situation with no real hope of change.  That anger warms past the frustration level until it drains us of any real energy to live.  People can discourage us perhaps more than the conditions of life.  Sometimes we forget we cannot control people no matter how hard we try.  It is true that a few raise control to an art form but that doesn't mean it's the healthy way to live.  Being discouraged is a common place in our maturity but the choice of what we do with it remains with us.

Some people just give up or settle for an easier path than engage in the crisis.  Others may blame another for their lot in life.  Another might just keep pushing to cross that place to discover a greater grace.  Our emotional health is often up to us.  David chooses often in his Psalms to look beyond the moment into eternity.  We don't often share that decision.  People like Simon Peter break free when they realize God has a bigger plan in store for them despite the failures.  Maybe this is why he will write later that we can cast our cares on Him because of God's mercy.  His words are not isolated theology but real time issues we share.  Find the honesty and freedom to admit discouragement.  It does not matter if others do not share your desire to be whole as long as you do.  There will be only one opinion that eternally matters.  So face your monsters with all of the resources of God.  It makes that much of a difference.

Bro. Trey