Discouragement

I can't imagine how preachers must feel when, despite their best efforts, people do not respond to God's Word. I asked God to use me as a vessel to deliver His Word to young ladies, and to help me try to restore loved ones of mine who are in a lost condition. Things seemed to go well at first, but now, it just seems I'm beating at air. There's nothing. Nada. No interest. No concern.

Today being Mother's Day, I have come to the sad reality: Apathetic parents produce apathetic children. They grow up into apathetic individuals who could care less about their eternal souls or those of their families. They make the obligatory Sunday morning visit, but their hearts aren't there even when their bodies are. You won't see hide nor hair of them at Sunday night or mid-week services. Ergo, a vicious cycle is set in motion. You can't restore someone who has a dead soul. Spiritually dead people can't raise spiritually concerned children. Their children, if they do make it to adulthood without messing over their lives during their teen and/or early adult years, will grow to not give God a second thought. He will never enter their minds, and His name will only exit their mouths in the form of blasphemy. They will depise the Lord's church and His people.

My question is this: How do you stop loving spiritually reprobate people? I don't think you can. I think you cry, pray, and fret over them until either they take their last breath or you do. I came home in a state tonight. I was so discouraged because it seems that I'm waisting my breath and precious energy. I might as well be talking to rocks. I even wondered secretly if I should move along to some other congregation.

The 23rd Psalm is supposed to help my discouragement. I'm supposed to let go and let God take over. I'm trying to. Psalm 107 is supposed to help my anxiety over loved ones, yet, right now, nothing is comforting to me. Jesus tried to save his native people, and they helped crucify him, so what makes me think I can make any difference? 2 Timothy 3 describes when everything goes from bad to worse. Verse 12 says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Perhaps emotional persecution is what this verse means for me. Verse 14 tells me, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them."

I guess I'll keep on keepin' on until somebody puts me in a box.

Love Ya,
God Bless!