Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Michael Fitzgerald

Associate Pastor of Antioch East Baptist Church

We are a culture of skilled discouragers. 

If you want to be discouraged about economic realities, compare gas prices today to those in days gone by. The same is true for grocery costs and many other necessary expenses. 

If you want to get upset about entertainment, you can find someone who’ll say that just about every movie or show is either too woke or not woke enough. 

In fact, if this is what we want to worry ourselves with, everything, from food and drink makers, to school curriculum and basic statements of facts, are either too woke or not woke enough. 

In my opinion, we seem to be a society actively looking for things to be angry about, and becoming discouraged when we find what we’re looking for.

Just because we’re good at something, doesn’t mean we should keep it up.  

God offers His people a better way. My fellow blood-bought, Spirit-empowered, Scripture-believing children of God, instead of looking for opportunities to be discouraged or frustrated or angry, let us look for opportunities to be encouraged, to be productive, and to be joyful.

Let us live life encouraged, knowing that we all have value as people created in God’s image.

Let us live life fulfilled, with a purpose to love God, love others, and to bring the good news to all people.

Let us live life with joy, knowing that God has promised to one day wipe every tear from our eyes.

Let us live life with gratitude, knowing that our sins have been forgiven.

Let us live life with goals, to glorify God in all that we do.

Let us live life with confidence, knowing that when we fail, he is faithful and just to forgive us.

My brothers and sisters, this is a better way.