" Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talk, they drew near to a very miry Slough that was in the midst of the plain, and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the Slough was Despond. Here therefore they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt, and Christian, because of the burden that was upon his back, began to sink in the mire."

In John Bunyan's classic work, Pilgrim's Progress, Christian, the hero of the story experienced this dilemma early in his journeys toward the Celestial City. Yet, there are many of us, who, as leaders of God's church, are trapped in a similar pit of despair, despite the fact that we have walked in the Kingdom for many years.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick." For many of us, this is the verse we live by. Our plans have brought forth few results. Our prayers have realized only the necessary; seldom the fulfillment of our desires. For the small church leader, this may mean that the hopes, prayers, plans, and dreams for growth have been delayed long enough to shake our faith at its very foundation. People we have helped, have left us in times when it was most inconvenient. Families we have cared for have neglected any reciprocal return, and visitors with whom we have invested our time, have not returned to join us. How do we live under the weight of such haunting memories. How do we surge forward, out of that bogged-down feeling, which says, "This is the way it will always be"? How can we be delivered from that "Slough of Despond?"

1) Don't live in the past. The people in our present often wear the faces of those from the past. When we see a situation, or an individual who reminds us of those who have wronged, or disappointed us in past, we have the tendency to see a repeat performance of our past failures in process. Only by actively moving forward, with hope that the present can be better than the past, are we able to see people wearing their own faces, and not the faces of those who have disappointed us.

2) Always remember the primary purpose for your ministry. When the finances have failed to meet the need, this may have been our point of discouragement in the past. When the attendance has declined once again, just when it seemed that there might have been a break through, we might have lost hope. When volunteers have not followed through with their commitments, we may have been overwhelmed. Oh, how I wish it was always so easy to remember that ministry is about relationships. It is not about the numbers, and the tasks which surround me.

3) Look to Lord for your rewards. Isn't this the real reason we become discouraged many days? The work seems to be greater than the results. Well, if you don't like that, then do something else than ministry. The largest portion of our reward comes much later, when we work for God.

4) Remember, nothing is impossible. This is the true point of power against the onslaught of despond. If we remember that God can do anything, we will not be so quick to give up in the face of overwhelming odds.

The Slough of Despond awaits every Christian. It prepares itself to engulf every leader. But, we need not wallow in its murky trenches. No matter what troubles of the past have caused us to give up hope, today is a new day, and our God is as great, and as loving, as He has ever been.