I received an email from someone recently who is going through one
of the worst times in their life right now. They said, "I can't take this
anymore! I just want to give up." As much as I wanted to respond with
fluffy, "I'm so sorry" words, I felt like some tough love was in
order instead. Why? Because I've said those very words many times and tough
love from people who cared about me gave me what I needed to get up and keep
going. To never give up.
This was my reply:
"I have a question for you. What does giving up look like? I'm serious. I had to really think about that question a while ago. What would I do if I gave up? Start drinking, take drugs, sink into depression, turn my back on my husband and kids, try to kill myself? I couldn't see myself giving up when I really thought about what that would look like. I had to put my hope in God, 100%. That doesn't mean I don't have bad days emotionally, but I had to make up my mind that I would never give up. God hasn't and won't ever give up on us, so who are we to give up on him? If you're going to give up, then give it up to God. Do that 1,000 times a day if you have to. We are praying and believing for miracles with you."
Giving up seems to be the easy answer when you are in the hurricanes of life and everything is going crazy in you and around you. And yet, if you really did give up, if you really went down "that road", all that will be waiting for you is mass destruction. It is exactly what Satan would want you to do. Give up on trusting God and listen to the lies of the enemy instead. No matter how many times he tempts you to give up, you MUST resist him. "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." - 1 Peter 5:8-10.
How do we resist our enemy and not give up? First, we must be in God's Word daily. The only way you will learn to trust God is to learn about him and get to know his character. Read about and absorb his promises for your life. Study the great men and women of faith who have gone before you, and how God delivered them from their human enemies AND their spiritual enemies. That will build your faith and help you to do what Peter said in the passage above. Second, DON'T isolate yourself. It can be very tempting to withdraw into ourselves and hide in our house and stop talking to the people who care about us. It's a dangerous thing to do because it leaves you vulnerable. It marks you as "someone to devour." When you surround yourself with people who will encourage you and speak life into your situation, you protect yourself from the attacks of the enemy. I realize there may be times when you are too ill to go to church, or go out of your house. I've been there. In those times, invite people into your house, if you can. If you can't, call them. If you can't talk, text or email them. Just KEEP ON communicating however you can, no excuses. And third, you must continually choose to renew your mind and focus on the positive things that are happening in your life, not the negative ones. Now, I realize there are times when your focus does need to be on the problem at hand so that you can take care of it. You can't take yourself out of reality. I'm talking about dwelling on the problems you CAN'T solve, the ones you can't control. Those are the ones you have to give to God or you will continue to feel crazy. You may be thinking, "But you don't know me! You have NO idea what I'm going through. There is not one positive thing going on in my life right now, not one single thing!" Well, I've had those thoughts too, and if you don't get rid of them quickly and change your attitude, you will continue to spiral down a path you do not want to be on. Trust me.
Giving your life and circumstances to the Lord isn't always the easy path to take either, but that path will ultimately lead you to joy, peace, wisdom, and life. Not just life, but abundant life! That is the promise of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He never said following him would be easy. In fact, he said the opposite. But, he promised that he would be with us every step of the way and that it would be worth it. The disciples who decided to give up everything and follow Jesus didn't lead easy-peasy lives. They suffered greatly. But, the reward we have for following Jesus and not the world is eternal life where we will rule and reign with him. "Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." - Matthew 19:27-30. There is a cost, but the reward that awaits us far surpasses the cost we may have to pay now. Stand firm! Don't give up!
There's nothing wrong with asking God to make another way, or deliver you from your circumstances. Even Jesus did that the night before he was crucified. But, when the day comes when you realize that you are going to have to face your fear or walk through yet another day of pain, then you must press in closely to Jesus knowing that He WILL carry you through. Your present circumstances are not the end of your story. You just have to live a little bit longer to see how God is going to work it all out. As I've said before, I take my Dad's advice every day... "Just keep breathing. You can do that, right? Just keep breathing and trust God and you'll see the other side of this." DON'T GIVE UP!
