When Discouragement Pins Me To The Mat

When discouragement pins me to the mat, I feel helpless in moving out from under its crushing weight. It taunts my faith and threatens my joy.

As we enter our final week of Wife Army ’15, I’m wondering if discouragement and hope are boxing it out in the ring of your heart for the final win. Which one will lift its arms in victory? Only you get to decide, my beautiful friend.

I haven’t always been good at getting out from under the weight of discouragement. In fact, I didn’t realize how far I’ve come until very recently when I found my face pressed once again to the mat.  My heavy-weight opponent thought I was a sure win.  I mean just look at me. My small build is not very intimidating. But much to the enemy’s surprise, and mine, I declare to you this day…

I have become a warrior.

I’m giggling a little as I type this bold statement. It sounds funny, doesn’t it? When I look in the mirror, I just see a mom and wife who loves her yoga pants and hates scrubbing her kitchen floor. I see a woman who is good at polishing her outer appearance, but often struggles with unpolished faith, fear and insecurity.

But this unpolished woman has a secret identity. She is a Chosen and Crowned daughter of the King, and nothing can strip her of that identity. Nothing.

Friend, as we finish out this week of praying for our marriages, I want you to declare out loud: I have become a warrior. It’s okay to giggle. And maybe you are very new to this warrior thing. But relish in the truth that “he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6). He has placed you here in this tribe of moms and wives who are making imperfect progress fueled by the grace of a perfect God. Together, we will talk bravely about the messy places of life, instead of hiding shamefully under them. Together, we are reminded that lasting beauty comes when we courageously surrender our ashes to God and allow him to do something mind-blowingly amazing with them. Together we are an impenetrable force. Together.

I’m so thankful for you. Your bravery amazes me. You help me chase after God with all that I am.

I have a new invitation waiting for you on Friday after some closing words for our Wife Army ’15 journey.

For now though, let’s continue to tackle the messy places in our hearts and marriages with powerful scripture prayer. Discouragement will not get the final word because God gets the final word. So let’s set our faces like a stone and press on.  

See you tomorrow for our first scripture prayer of the week!

If you missed the intro to Wife Army '15 and the first three prayer points, read

Let The Fight Begin,

Finding Freedom From An Ugly Side Of Marriage,

Your Biggest Struggle To Fulfilling God's Purpose For Your Marriage, and

Can A Dead Marriage Be Brought Back To Life. 

For all other Wife Army '15 posts and prayers, visit Anna's blog. 

This post is part of a blog series hosted by Anna Frye, founder of Chosen And Crowned Ministries. Anna's heart is to raise up a growing army of women (#WifeArmy15) who courageously pray scripture over their marriages and expect mind-blowing results. This series runs from Oct. 19-Nov. 13. Join the Wife Army and invite your friends at www.ChosenAndCrowned.com/blog.