In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah was nothing short of depressed. But instead of wallowing in it, he remembered God. When he began to turn his thoughts toward the goodness of God – in spite of the fact that he couldn’t see God’s goodness at the moment – he started to feel differently about the mess he was in. In fact in verse 18 of Lamentation 3, Jeremiah lets us know that he has lost all hope. And yet we see his hope return when he returns his thoughts toward God. We read,
We live in a world that is not the way God intended it to be when He created it. When sin entered His perfect creation, all of it was subject to its fruit. Let’s face it, discouragement is not from God, but it is one of Satan’s tools that gives us a feeling of hopelessness.
Personal development is not an event. Neither is it a one-size-fits-all experience. Development takes time, tests, failure and overcoming. God knows each one of us individually. He knows what we each need in order to develop and strengthen our spiritual muscles and sharpen our spiritual insight and wisdom. More often than not, this requires detours in life to allow us the opportunity to learn, grow and develop.