Inoculation from Discouragement

When we get discouraged by the ways of the world, it is helpful to gain perspective by listening to what historians have to say. For example, in his article “The Optimism of Uncertainty,” historian Howard Zinn reminds us, “There is a tendency to think that what we see in the present moment will continue. We forget how often we have been astonished by the sudden crumbling of institutions, by extraordinary changes in people’s thoughts, by unexpected eruptions of rebellion against tyrannies, by the quick collapse of systems of power that seemed invincible.”

Such dramatic changes may seem to come out of nowhere, but they have roots in the innumerable acts of kindness, decency, compassion, and resistance to evil that people around the world engage in every day. Zinn goes on to say, “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can change the world…. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

Every day, the scriptures remind us to walk in God’s ways and leave the rest in God’s hands. Isaiah quotes God as saying, “I, the Lord, promise justice” (Is 45: 19). The book of Proverbs cautions, “Injure not the poor because they are poor, nor crush the needy at the gate; for the Lord will defend their cause, and will plunder the lives of those who plunder them” (Prov 22:22-23). Psalm 33 teaches us, “The Lord brings to naught the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations” (Ps 33:10-11). Trusting in God’s ways inoculates us from discouragement and leads us, with the other members of the body of Christ, to faithfully perform the small daily acts that cumulatively help change the world.