"Satan plans his attacks around distraction, discouragement, and doubt...The underlying strategy is fairly simple: Get peoeple's eyes off God and on their circumstances. Make them believe that their "happiness" lies in the "happenings" that surround them...When we're distracted, discouragement is just around the corner. Weariness creeps in as life overpowers us. It causes us to say and do things we would never consider saying or doing otherwise. Discouragement breaks down our perspective and our defenses. Though we may have just completed great things for God, weary discouragement tells us we're useless, hopeless, and abandoned...Discouragement can drain us of all hope, of all vision, of all our tomorrows and dreams."

wow. how powerful and how true.

this excerpt came from Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, and i couldn't have read it at a better time. i feel like i have finally realized this week that the distraction, doubt, and especially discouragement are the ways in which satan has been attacking me as of late. it's been so interesting, because, truly, being discouraged was draining me of all my hope, of all my visions, and of all my dreams.

everything is still up in the air in regards to this summer, and i've been reminded this week how much i hate the unknown. and i could give you all the sunday school answers in the world about trusting the Lord and about surrendering to him, and to an extent, i think i probably have done that--but i guess not completely because of how much not knowing frustrates me.

perhaps that is something to work on more this week.
oh what a journey it has been...and continues to be.