I once heard a story of an old devil who was planning to retire. He put up for auction all the weapons that he had accumulated over the years. They ranged from envy to laziness to gossip.
One of these weapons, worn from frequent use, was the most expensive of the lot. When a junior devil asked about the weapon, the old devil proudly introduced it: discouragement. “Many people have been able to resist attacks from my other weapons, but as soon as I deployed ‘discouragement’, they would fall into the trap, and it would be easy to control them,” he explained.
Discouragement means literally, ‘taking heart’. It is the opposite of encouragement, meaning ‘giving heart’. It is so easy to fall into.
Have you ever been discouraged?
With a relationship? With your work? With your spiritual progress? Do you find yourself enthusiastically starting projects, or novenas, or making resolutions to be a better friend, wife, family member, or Christian, only to find yourself a few days in, already giving in to fatigue, frustration, emotional stress, or distractions?
If so, I am confident you are not alone. “Although we have formed good resolutions in our mind, we always feel handicapped by the weakness of the sensible part of our nature, which rebels against the weariness of sustained effort, and seeks to free itself from it, or at least to reduce it to a minimum.” This is why we fluctuate so drastically–setting out with enthusiasm and determination one minute, and giving up the next. We are human. And so long as we are human, living on earth, we will remain broken, imperfect, and will suffer the consequences of our instability.
But…
We don’t get a pass just because it is difficult for us to remain steadfast in the face of difficulty. Why? Well, because despite our humanness, we are called to sanctity. The goal is not to be successful at what you do but to become a Saint through your doing it. And if the call to sanctity discourages you (how on earth will I ever become a saint if I can’t hold my tongue over the most trivial upsets?) God–who never calls us to do anything He will not equip us for—provides what Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen describes as “a remedy for the instability of our nature”…He gives us the virtue of perseverance.
Two types of perseverance:
1. The perseverance of heroic virtue. This type of perseverance is so perfect that it never wavers–no matter how difficult or unexpected the circumstance. It is given to those souls who have reached the state of transforming union and who habitually live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. This sounds utterly impossible to me–and yet–it is a goal we should strive for, however, not by the practice of virtue alone—oh no…for this type of perseverance is given only to those who experience a continual intervention of the gifts of the Holy Spirit …it is the Holy Spirit who can help us completely overcome the instability of our nature. (invite Him into your everyday!)
2. The second type of perseverance feels a little more attainable: it is the kind that fervent souls practice –these souls do not yet enjoy the habitual motions of the Holy Spirit. Their perseverance shows some signs of fluctuation and instability. But in this case, perseverance isn’t about remaining perfectly stable and always steadfast no matter the challenge or difficulty—rather, it’s about constantly beginning again as soon as any failure is recognized.
THIS SPEAKS TO ME.
THIS, I CAN DO.
I CAN GET UP AGAIN.
I find comfort in Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen’s words in Divine Intimacy:
When we fail, he says, “this is no reason for being discouraged or sad; rather it is a motive for humbling ourselves, for recognizing our weakness and begging more insisently for God’s help to rise at once and begin again. Because our human nature is so unstable, our perseverance will usually consist of continually beginning again.”
This is the virtue we all need to strive for, and the good news is, at every moment, God gives us the grace to practice it…We are never going to be perfect… There will always be a weakness, temptation, or failure around the corner… we cannot avoid this. But where we may fall short in virtue, we have the power to correct ourselves…the moment we see that we have fallen short of our word, our resolution, or promise to others, ourselves, and most importantly to God…we can correct ourselves.
And yet…THIS can be hard. Our pride and self-love do not like it when we need to be corrected. So much so that we prefer to sit and stew in our discouragement rather than accept the humiliation.
Saint Mother Teresa said, “Don’t give in to discouragement. If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers.”
Discouragement is rooted in our pride…in our disbelief that we can fall so often and so easily.
You know who else was discouraged?
Lucifer.
So, what can we do when we are discouraged?
Always remember where it comes from–the enemy. We need to stop fighting the wrong battles. It’s not with flesh and blood–it is with satan.
The moment I perceive the enemy’s part in my discouragement, the quicker I pull myself out of it.
1. I acknowledge the failure
2. I invite the Holy Spirit in
3. I renounce, reject, and rebuke the evil spirit of discouragement
4. I thank God for the grace to correct myself
5. I go to confession
6. I resolve once again, to amend my life…and I rise again, remembering that perseverance is not about perfection, but continually rising again.
This is the kind of perseverance that God demands of us.
And as Father Gabriel writes: when we practice it faithfully and are always prompt in rising after each fall, God will crown our efforts by granting us the supreme grace of final perseverance.
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This post was originally published on Words and Birds and is reprinted here with permission.
Image: Unsplash+
