Monday, May 19, 2008

Never, ever give up!



Can I just be honest with you? I cannot tell you the number of times I just wanted to give up and quit . . . my marriage . . . parenthood . . . homeschooling . . . I just get so weary sometimes. It is very, very hard to see the end result of our efforts, but we'll surely NEVER see what could've been if we just up and quit. One verse that comes to my mind each time I'm tempted to quit is Galatians 6:9:

And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

This verse just screams out to me "Don't give up! The day is coming when you'll be rewarded for your hard work! Never, ever, ever give up! You've come too far! Hang on just a little longer! DON'T YOU QUIT ON GOD!"

The truth is, all things are in God's time. Romans 5:6 tells that that even Christ had to wait for God's timing:

For when we were yet without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Mark 13:32 tells us that He is still waiting on God's timing:

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

It may take everything you and I have to walk the path and bear the cross that God has given us, but we cannot quit and expect to get anything out of it. What if the day you quit is the day your reward comes? what if the day you quit praying is the day that person you were praying for was supposed to get saved? what if . . . what if . . . what if . . .? We never know.

The above video is from the movie Facing the Giants. I didn't see it as the theater, but we did buy it on DVD. Can I just tell you that this clip is the most powerful scene in the entire movie? The attitudes of the players, especially the captain of the football team, are changed because of what the coach asks this young man to do.

One thing that stands out to me is the fact that he is blindfolded through the entire ordeal. He cannot see a thing. He does have a goal, but he does not know how far he is from it. All he knows is that he just has to keep on trying; he cannot quit, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much it burns!

Can I just tell you that every time I watch this, I am utterly in tears. I imagine that I am the one doing the death crawl, and I cannot see the end of my endeavor. I have a God-given goal, but I have to trust Him to get me there. Right beside me is God cheering me on, screaming for me to give Him my very best. He is there telling me not to ever quit, letting me know I am almost there.

As the scene begins, the team is so down because the team they are up against on Friday night is the best around. The coach urges the captain of the team to give his very best for his team. If he gives up, then the rest of the team will too. By the end of the scene, the captain and all of the team realizes that they can do whatever is necessary to reach their goal. No matter how much it hurts and burns, they won't quit!

My life is very much like that. When mama is discouraged and wants to quit, so will the rest of the family. So mama has to rely on God, though God often asks for more than she thinks she can give. Then she realizes that her team . . . her family . . . needs her, and it will take God cheering her on to keep her from quitting and reaching the finish line. God never leaves her alone. God is always by her side. Mama can do anything with God's encouragement.

People, never, ever give up! Ever.

Love in Christ,

J.L.

6 comments:

Deborah said...

We have the dvd facing the Giants too. My boys have watched it many times. The whole movie is great, but you're right, this is one of the most powerful in the movie!

Anonymous said...

I so needed this reminder today. We homeschooled for nine years. This is my first year not. We sent our girls to an early college program this year where they were dually enrolled as seniors in high school but earning college credit and the school is at a college. Our girls are 14 months apart but in the same grade because our oldest was held back a year when they were in school because she is dyslexic. I found it best to just keep them in the same grade when we started homeschooling them.

Our oldest ran away in January. That part is long and complicated... but our hearts are broken. She is no longer going to church. She is graduating with her sister on Friday and she has gone to see a counselor with us but... it is all slow going.

We have family coming on Thursday. I shut her door when she ran away and have just kept it shut. I have to get it cleaned up and all of her stuff packed up so we can put it in storage. She left it an incredible disaster. I am only just beginning to see the floor after being in there all day. So many times today I have just felt that I can't do this... that I can't take this anymore!

Then there was so more heaped on from another kid... and... I took a nap. I took a nap and then checked your blog when I got up. Thank God I did. I think I can get back in there now and finish it.

Thank you from the bottom... and I do mean bottom, of my heart.

Anonymous said...

I did a short blurb on my blog with a link to this entry.
Thanks again!

MaBunny said...

WOW!!

Little Mama said...

Praise the Lord! I am thankful He does not quit on US!

Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life said...

Thank you for your courage. I know it's hard to be a Mom, it's even hard to be a person some days. I look at my cat, snoozing in front of the fire--it's cold here today--and I think, "What an easy life," and then I remember that I don't want to be a cat but one of Heavenly Father's diligent daughters.

Thank you for your great post.