So, I had a bad day! We’ve all been there. Maybe you feel undervalued, underappreciated, unloved or you feel taken for granted. Maybe you are just in a sour mood when you wake up—no one is perfect, right? But that mood can cover your heart and alter every interaction you have. This morning as I drove to work, the fog had rolled in and covered my town with a thick white blanket. You couldn’t see anything! It occurred to me that my mood, the previous day, my discouragement, had covered me, much in the same way. Discouragement had settled upon my heart like that heavy fog, blocking out all light and hope.

It doesn’t matter if my feelings were founded, what matters is that I allowed that cloud of discouragement to cover me and I allowed it to block out any joy from my day. Jesus was fully human and had many times where discouragement could have overshadowed Him. But He lived without sin, and He knew that the Father is sovereign overall, and that knowledge held His joy and kept the cloud of discouragement from overshadowing His heart. He knew that Judas was going to betray him, yet He still washed his feet. He knew that Peter would deny him, not just once, but three times! Yet, He still loved Peter and chose Him to build His church. Jesus knows our human failure and He understands.

So, this morning, I set aside my feelings from the previous day and vowed to have a better day. And you know what? I did! Nothing in my life changed—I didn’t suddenly win the lottery and my burdens; I still carry them—but they don’t seem as heavy today. Why? Because I chose to look for Him through the fog of my circumstances. I chose to trust Him, and I chose not to dwell on all the problems that just keep scrolling through my mind and on my phone.

Instead, I thought about Joseph. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob and his brothers hated him for that! So, they decided to sell him into slavery and to tell their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. Such deception! Joseph found himself now a slave in a foreign country, working in the house of Potiphar, one of the Egyptian officials. Joseph’s attitude and submission to God, brought him blessings. The Lord blessed him, in turn, blessing the house of Potiphar. But Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph, and when he fled from her advances, she accused him of attacking her. Joseph was thrown into prison. Yet, he still held on to his faith. In prison, God blessed him again, and Joseph was given the duties of taking care of the prisoners. Joseph was in prison over two years, seemingly forgotten, when Pharaoh called him to interpret his dreams. The next thing you know, Joseph was put in charge of the whole country of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Wow!

I can’t imagine how much discouragement Joseph must have felt over the years. Hated by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of assault, imprisoned, forgotten. Yet, the bible never mentions that he lost his hope or his faith. Years later, he is reunited with his brothers, and stands before them as the ruler of Egypt. What was done out of hate and jealousy, God used for His purpose to save many lives, including the lives of Joseph’s brothers, their families, and their father.

I am in no way comparing myself or my problems to Joseph. I do hold onto the truth that God is sovereign, in control at all times, and that He sees ME. He sees my frustration and He understands. He wants the best for me; He wants to bless me. He HAS blessed me! So, the next time discouragement rolls in and covers your heart, remember the Lord and all that He has done. There is nothing outside of His view, nothing takes Him by surprise. The darkness of this world may have covered my heart temporarily, but His light has the power to break through ALL circumstances and light the way to hope and truth. John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”