Charlie Brown Days

I don't know about you, but I can identify with Charlie Brown more times than not.  He tries so hard and still can't seem to do anything right.  Charlie Brown tries to be a good pitcher for his baseball team and gets nailed every time.  Charlie Brown tried to get a Christmas Tree for the play and was made to feel like a failure there as well.  He just keeps trying and keeps getting reminded that he's not measuring up.  

Every feel like that? I have.  There have been times when I was ready to give up and walk away.  It's not a good feeling!  It's a very hard uphill struggle to slap on a positive attitude and keep going. 

How do you deal with such times in life?  I can only tell you what has helped me.  

First, I remind myself that God made me on purpose for a purpose:
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed."
(Psalm 139:13-16) 

Second, I get out my pen and paper and start writing.  I write my prayers because my mind is stuck in a spiral downward.  Through writing, I am able to get my thoughts out and eventually realize that whatever happens to me here is not the end of God's story for me.

Third, I try to get around positive people.  Not so they can cheer me up, but just being around positive people helps me realize that there really ARE people who aren't discouraging.

Fourth, and this is the MOST important part, I give the negative people over to God and let Him deal with them. Then I give God my negativity and let Him deal with me.

Sometimes I need to do this every single day until God moves and sometimes God moves right away.  It's not about my timing, rather it's God's story for me that He is bringing to pass in His time.