Overcoming Discouragement

One Day at a Time, With Faith

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-September 10th, 2026

“If your only plan today is to make it through today, that still counts. Survival can be a faithful step.”

This quote really resonated with me because of my chronic illness symptoms. On my hardest days, all I can do is make it through that day. So, I survive until the next day. I really like that it says, “Survival can be a faithful step.” I never thought of just making it through the day as an act of faith. But I guess it is as long as I don’t doubt and lose my faith. Even on my hardest days when I get discouraged, as long as I don’t give up, I’m still showing faith. Faith doesn’t mean we never feel discouraged. Sometimes faith is simply continuing to take the next step when we’re discouraged.

Life is hard and some days we may even doubt if we can make it through the day. It’s okay to get discouraged as long as we don’t let those feelings overwhelm us or stick around for too long. I definitely have days when I get discouraged and I don’t know if I can make it through the day anymore. But I wake up the next day and there’s hope. Even if I don’t feel better physically the next day, I pray that my spirit will feel better and have more hope.

I realize that it’s very hard for some people who struggle with severe depression and anxiety to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we just need to remember that we don’t walk through this life alone. We are meant to be there for each other. We learn from each other’s hard experiences. Our Heavenly Father is always beside us. He can help us through every day, even if we are just surviving until the next day. He loves us and wants us to reach out to Him, especially on our hardest days.

Have you ever had a season when simply making it through the day felt like an act of faith? What helps you find hope when you’re having a particularly difficult day?

More Than My Struggles

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Backstory:
While doing a yoga routine for fibromyalgia on YouTube earlier this week, the woman who does the video said that fibromyalgia is only a very small portion of who she is. She doesn’t let it rule her life or her daily activities. This idea really intrigued me because I live with fibromyalgia and other chronic symptoms every day. Those symptoms do tend to rule my day at times. Then I thought that this could be applied to all of us. What influences, emotions, health issues or other things do we let rule our lives and discourage us sometimes? Instead of allowing discouragement, fear, pain, or other influences rule us, what would happen if we chose to be guided by faith, hope, and truth? 

More Than My Struggles

I wake up every day with more chronic symptoms than I could say,
And even though I try, these symptoms do get in my way.
But I am stronger than I look on the outside,
Even though no one can see all the tears I have cried.

My health issues are only a small portion of me,
Even though the rest of who I am can be hard to see.
I have many days when I just want to stay in bed
And pull the covers back over my tired head.

I ask myself the question, “What will I let influence me today?”
Will I let my health issues lead my exhausted heart astray?
Will I let outside influences that aren’t important determine my worth?
Or will I remember that I have been loved by many since before my birth?

Will I cling to my Heavenly Father in prayer on bended knee
And ask Him to send His light to my life so I can more clearly see?
Yes, I will try to cling to Him who loves me more than anyone,
And to let His light into my life like the rays of the sun.

I am human and I know that I will occasionally stray,
But my loving Heavenly Father will be by my side every day.
He will help me when I am feeling down and blue,
Because He loves me and He is stuck to me like glue.

The Takeaway: Instead of letting things like health issues, emotions, or other people rule our lives, we should let our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father guide us the most. We are stronger than we look on the outside. Other people can’t see what we struggle with in our souls. We all may be facing difficult things while still choosing to trust and have faith in our Heavenly Father. He will be with us every day of our lives. We just need to turn to Him in faith and we can overcome whatever challenges await us.

Watch the YouTube short here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N8S2wEtKAMM

Held in God’s Hands

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My Daily Musings-June 25th, 2026

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God sometimes seem to simply watch as we suffer?

Those are difficult questions, and I don’t know all the answers.

Listening to the audiobook Flying in Love by Chalon Linton, one of the characters asked this very question while his mother was dying of cancer. It made me think about my own life and the chronic illnesses I live with every day. While I have never faced something as terrifying as cancer, I do know what it feels like to struggle through hard days, to grieve the things my body can no longer do, and to sometimes battle feelings of darkness and discouragement.

So what keeps me going?

It is my faith that I am in God’s hands.

I believe that our Heavenly Father loves us deeply and is aware of every struggle we face. He knows our hearts, our fears, and the tears we cry when no one else sees them. While I may never fully understand why certain trials come into my life, I do believe that our challenges can shape us, refine us, and strengthen our faith if we allow them to.

Most of all, I believe I am never alone. Jesus Christ walks beside us in our suffering. Because of His Atonement, He understands every pain, every fear, every moment of exhaustion and weakness. He has felt it all.

Have you ever wondered why God allows suffering? And in your hardest moments, where have you felt His love and presence?

Even when the answers don’t come, I find peace in knowing that I am held in the hands of a loving Father and a compassionate Savior.

The Language of Hope

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My Daily Musings-June 14th, 2026

Andrew Peterson once said, “The gospel gives me hope, and hope is not a language the dark voices understand.”

I love this quote because the gospel fills my life with hope. When discouragement tries to creep in, I remember that I have a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem me and walk beside me through every trial. Because of Him, I never have to carry my burdens alone.

There are many voices in the world that try to convince us that there is no hope, that our struggles are too great, or that things will never get better. But what happens when we choose to listen to the voice of faith instead? What changes when we fix our eyes on God rather than our fears?

Even on days when the clouds feel heavy and the road seems difficult, the gospel reminds me that I am never alone. Through Christ, there is always hope—hope for today, hope for tomorrow, and hope for eternity.

Bulletproof Faith

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My Daily Musings-May 29th, 2026

Sometimes life tests us in ways we never expected. I recently watched a Touched By an Angel episode where Monica said that the only thing truly bulletproof is faith—faith in God, not in ourselves or anyone else. That thought stayed with me.

Is my faith strong enough to withstand the hardest days? When discouragement, fear, or unanswered prayers come, do I still trust that Heavenly Father is near?

I know I have moments when I struggle, especially with my health. But when I look back over my life, I can see that faith has carried me through every difficult season. Even on the days when my strength feels small, God’s love and presence remain steady. He is always there, waiting for me to reach out to Him in prayer.

Maybe bulletproof faith doesn’t mean never doubting or never struggling. Maybe it means continuing to hold on to God, even in the middle of the storm.