Have you ever wanted to Give up? Quit? Walk away? Stop? Leave?
Have you ever wanted your day, week, month or year to be over?
Me Too!
Honestly, there have been times when I was trying to crawl my way through the tunnel of difficulty hoping, praying, believing for a light at the end! It’s in those moments I must ask myself the following four questions to just keep going.
Four Questions To Ask Yourself When You Want To Give Up
1. Do I Have Hope?
Sometimes all we have is hope. There is nothing else available. But, when hope is all we have we are reminded that hope is all we need. Hope spurs us on and keeps us going. God has a plan for each one of us and it usually involves brokenness in some form or another.
This alone gives us hope. The well known and often quoted verse from Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Occasionally when a verse such as this achieves such notoriety the verses before or after suffer. We read Jeremiah 29:11 and that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great verse but the verses after have something to say too!
Verse 12: “In those days when you pray, I will listen.”
Verse 13: “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
Yes, God has a plan for us.
Yes, He wants the best for us.
Yes, He will listen when we talk to Him.
Yes, We will find Him when we look for Him.
2. How Is My Grip?
I’m tired and exhausted. I feel down, defeated, discouraged and depleted. You may have said to yourself, “I don’t think I can take another step.” Or, maybe you have thought, “I can’t get out of bed.” Well, Me too!
What can we do when we feel this way? We can hang in there for just a little while longer. I love Hebrews 12:12-13, “Take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.”
God won’t waste your pain and difficulty. He will use it to make a difference not only in your life but in the lives of others if...if you are willing to share your story later on in life!
3. Do I Have Attiude?
What does it take to not give up? Well, as we have said having Hope and a good grip are two places to start but what about attitude? Specifically resilience and tenacity.
I like the quote by Winston Churchill, “The nose of the Bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go.” Now that's a picture of tenacity. Remember, breathe…but don't let go.
Resilience is toughness, the ability to recover after difficulty. Resilience is the ability to become strong again after adversity. "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." Galatians 6:9 NLT
4. Do I Know Where God Is?
There have been times when I have not “felt” God. I have looked and looked and have not found Him. If you have ever felt that way then you are in good company. Not with me but with Job.
Here are his words in Job 23:8-10 NLT, “I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I look to the south, but He is concealed. But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”
You may resonate a bit with Job's words. If anybody embodies hope, tenacity and resilience and a good grip, it’s Job. I like how Job phrases his words in verses 8-10. He looks around and can’t see or feel God anywhere, he says, that “He" (God) is concealed.
We all feel that way from time to time. “God, where are you in this moment? Please reveal yourself to me.” And we hear and feel silence.
BUT, And I love these words...”He (God) knows where I am going!” Yes, I may not feel His presence, see His works, sense His grace BUT He absolutely, unequivocally knows where I am and where I am going. Just because we can not feel God in a difficult time it doesn’t mean He isn’t there. On the contrary, it's in those moments when He is right next to us.
Are you in a tunnel of difficulty this week? Do you feel like giving up? What are you going to do in the midst of the difficulty you are experiencing? I would love to hear what you are going to do to not give up.
Photo Credit: shutterstock.com Image ID: 110810741 Copyright: Johnny Dao