Dealing With Discouragement
Michael Walsh

How do you overcome discouragement so you can move ahead?

• Take time to grow. I minister better when I take time to relax, read, recreate, spend time with family and friends, and grow professionally.

• Sift through criticism. While I take informed, constructive criticism seriously, my ministry is too precious to let unbridled criticism sabotage it.

• Refuse to live with loneliness. Make cultivating friendships a priority.

• Discern the source of your frustration. Differentiate the challenges intrinsic to ministry from the frustrations that arise because of differing cultural expectations, educational backgrounds, and philosophies of ministry between pastor and church.

• Work your plan – then stop. Having a long-range plan and carrying it through are the best antidotes to the paralysis of guilt. Set a realistic plan and stop wig that.

• Persist. When progress seems to come to a halt, I think: The Lord wants me to accomplish something here. If I persist, He’ll help me break through to someone in a way that will be rewarding.