He
would flog me within an inch of my life and throw me down so bruised and
bleeding that I almost wished I was dead [1 Kings 19:9-18]. It was only
when I made a blunder that Mistake and Discourager beat me; but as I
made these nearly every day, my life grew very miserable. I was about
to conclude that Canaan-land had lost all its milk and honey; for I had
not found very much of either yet.
"It got so that I anticipated the approach of these giants, and they
never disappointed my anticipations. Giant Discourager would call me all
kinds of names, such as a sinner, a perfect failure, a no-good, a weakling,
a coward. And he would tell me, 'You have no faith,' 'You never will get
a home in Canaan,' 'You will be cast out at last,' and many such like
things would he say to me.
"When in my very worst battle with Mistake and Discourager, old Giant
Despair came around to see me [1 Kings 19:4]. He claimed that by my
repeated failures he had the right to possession of my soul, and he said
he was going to carry me to his dungeon and club me to death, just as
he almost did Bunyan's pilgrim, Christian. This frightened me nearly to
death.
"In the very extremity of this bitter battle, an angel of Immanuel, named
Solicitude, came to my side one day and said, 'I will teach you how to
tame Giant Mistake and how to put Giant Discourager to flight.
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