"Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times." (2 Cor.4:1. The Message)

Instead, we are going to be open and honest about what we are going through. We are not going to hide behind pious platitudes and make out that we are spiritual supermen or superwomen. We are not going to deny the reality of our pain or the difficulties we face. We will not quote Bible verses to give the impression that everything is OK with us. We will not turn to preachers who promise gain without pain, easy believism, name it and claim it, faith that never has to suffer. St. Paul writes, "We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, not do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Cor.4:2,3)

There are many good Christian people who lose heart, despair and are discouraged in our churches who feel that they cannot be honest about their challenges. They are embarrassed by their situation. They feel that they should not feel the way they do and that they will be judged if they express their difficulties. Some drop out of church altogether because they cannot put on a brave face or they blame God for their troubles. The church should be a place where everyone can come and seek help through prayer and worship. I know there are many who are reluctant to ask for prayer because they fear that they will be considered failures, or are weak, and cannot cope on their own. But all of us are weak and need the encouragement and prayers of others. All of us are failures and cannot cope without the Savior. All of us have to go through the Cross before we can come to the Resurrection. There is no person who has never lost heart or been discouraged. Anyone who claims to have not is in deep denial about their needs.

St. Paul tells us that the truth of the Gospel commends itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Every one of us in our consciousness knows the truth of the Gospel: that we are sinners in need of a Savior, that Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit to give us a new heart, to encourage us, that He is there to heal us of our hurts, to come alongside us to strengthen us, and will be with us forever. Every one of us knows that our conscience reminds us that we are sinners in great need of forgiveness, redemption, deliverance, salvation. The truth of the Gospel is not just words, not just beliefs, not just theology, but a Person -- the Word made flesh. Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts, to banish despair, to prevent us from losing heart. If Jesus is there with you, the battle is won.

If this is true, why is it that so many people despair of life, and seem defeated and perpetually discouraged? Paul tells us that it is because their minds are blinded. They cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

"If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll every get." (2 Cor.4:3-4. The Message)

They are like Muslim women who wear the burqa which covers the face so that they can only see through a concealing net or grille. Their vision is distorted and obscured. When a person loses heart, becomes discouraged and falls into despair their view of life is distorted. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Life to them is full of disappointment. Their hearts are heavy. Their minds are brainwashed to reverse the truth so that they believe lies. In totalitarian regimes such as in Cuba or Iran censorship and propaganda distorts public awareness. Those who are in destructive lifestyles and cannot see a way out of them. They have given up. Those who are bitter and resentful about the difficulties of their lives are their own worst enemies.

What can you do for them? They need Jesus Christ as Lord. They need a new beginning. They need a new start in life. Just as God created them in the first place, he can recreate them spiritually. "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Cor.4:6)

How can we serve others? How can we encourage others to have hope? We don't preach ourselves but Jesus. We serve others best when we share with them what we have seen in Christ. He has flooded our hearts with his light. He has enabled us to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He flooded Paul's heart with his light on the road to Damascus: "suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him." (Acts 9:3) When we came to Christ he gave us the light of the knowledge of God. He did it to me in my teenage years.

In St. Paul's Cathedral in London there hangs Holman Hunt's famous painting entitled The Light of the World. It portrays Jesus standing knocking at the door of the human heart with a lamp in his hand. The night is dark except for the light of Christ. The door has no handle. It has not been opened for a long time because weeds and vines have grown over it. The human heart can only be opened to the light of the world from within. When you open the door of your heart to Jesus, he will come in, and he will never leave. "I am with you always." Therefore we can never lose heart. We can never despair. We can never be perpetually discouraged. "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come." (2 Cor.5:17)

(See Ted's latest Blog at www.tedschroder.com)