Discouragement!
A man had a very interesting dream. It was an exhibition held in hell. The man was fascinated by the tools used by the devils in their nefarious activities of tempting human beings to commit a variety of sins.
The tools were labelled: Anger, Irritation, Malice, Hatred, Jealousy, Deceit, Sensuality, etc. In a special glass case, on rich red velvet, rested a worn-out looking tool that seemed harmless. The man asked the demonstrator what it was. “That tool is Discouragement” whispered the demonstrator. “But why has it been displayed as the show-piece of this exhibition?” He asked. “It looks so harmless and inefficient compared with the others.”
A fiendish grin spread over the devil’s face as he explained: “That tool is the secret of our success. It looks so harmless and innocent, but properly used it can take even a saint off his guard.”
One word of discouragement is sufficient for some to give up the effort to achieve something great in life. When you hear some one saying something discouraging about you, think of this story and visualize how the devils use this tool of discouragement to achieve their objectives. Consider the person using this tool as a devil.