I recently came across an interesting prayer that David prayed in Psalm 13:3:
“Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.”
We’ve all seen people who have lost the sparkle in their eyes. (Lost passion, lost sense of purpose, lost awareness of God’s presence.) In short, those who have lost the sparkle in their eyes are discouraged and battling a sense of defeat. We regain the sparkle through a shift in our perspective.
Here are five perspectives and principles we can embrace to restore the sparkle.
1) Don’t say, “here we go again.” Instead, choose to say, “here we grow again.”
I just saw a news report about another winter storm about to hit the northern U.S. coastline. The report said, “Here we go again.” When life is full of storms, or a storm seems to be brewing in the forecast of our lives, it is easy to embrace the same headline in our heart: “Here we go again.” Instead, make the decision to say, “Here I grow again.” One of the best decisions you can make is to “grow forward” when the storms of life hit. Make a list of the lessons you are going to apply to this storm of life, or a list of lessons you are learning because of it. We defeat a grumbling heart when we choose to grow forward.
2) Remember that grateful equals “great” and “full.”
Speaking of lists, when discouraged, make a list of things you are grateful for. I realize that it seems elementary, but grumbling is usually the fruit of ingratitude in our lives. Remember, the first generation of Israelites missed out on the promised land because they grumbled over what they did not have instead of being grateful for what they did have. Gratitude keeps your eyes on the greatness of God and your heart full of praise. Ingratitude keeps your eyes on the greatness of your circumstance and your heart full of pity.
3) When you feel “down and out,” choose “up and in.”
There are times in life when we simply do not know what to do about a crisis or an issue. The tendency is to hang our heads and detach from God and others. When facing an intimidating army, King Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament made a decision we need to emulate.
Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
David said in Psalm 121:1-2:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
When you feel down and out, choose up and in. Look up to the Lord and press into Him and others to find help, hope, and healing. Do not detach from God or others—that is a sure formula for discouragement in your life!
4) Don’t allow past hurt to rob you of your present hope.
Speaking of hope, past hurt can paralyze you in the pain of your present. This is why Paul started off a famous passage we are very familiar with five powerful words.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14)
Paul says he is ultimately not where he is called to be, but the one thing he does is to forget what is behind so that he can strain toward what is ahead. To forget the past doesn’t necessarily mean wiping away the memory of something that has happened to you. It means making the decision not to let your past control you and to “believe forward.” Believe that what lies ahead of you is greater than what is behind you. Believe the person you are growing into because of God’s grace is better than the person who is behind you. And believe that your knowledge of God tomorrow will be greater because of what you are experiencing today. Do not allow your past to belittle your belief. Instead, “believe forward” and allow present hope to pull you out of past hurt.
5) Remember that one way through it is to give your way out of it.
I have a friend who says, “You are never more like Jesus than when you give.” I believe this to be true and have seen the power and benefits of being a giver. And in context of this article, I don’t mean financial giving. I essentially mean encouraging others when you yourself are discouraged. It is called “acting in the opposite spirit,” and doing so can break the discouragement off your own life. I always try to have a few minister friends whom I am committed to praying for and encouraging. I have found that when I am discouraged, sending them an encouraging text or giving them a brief phone call to let them know I’m thinking about them usually shifts something in me. Remember,
He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)
My prayer for you today is that you will not lose the sparkle in your eye. But if you have, I pray that it is recovered as you learn to encourage yourself in the Lord.
