Wednesday, March 2, 2022
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope… Romans 5:3-4
When You Want to Give Up
Sometimes it is so hard to keep going, especially when we cannot see any hope. Many times we do give up, because we don’t see the point in struggling through every day, trying to get through something that it seems we will never make it through. We give up on dreams, visions, loved ones, relationships, and jobs, just to name a few. Sometimes we give up on our calling too.
Mary seemed to have given up on both Lazarus – because he was dead and that was the end in her mind, and Jesus – because He did not do what she thought He should/could do. Have you ever been there? Have you ever told yourself that you might as well quit because it wasn’t ever going to happen, and you were tired of fighting it? Part of the problem many times is that we try to make it happen in our power and we don’t rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in us like we are supposed to do.
Perseverance through those times when we want to give up requires us to lay it down and Jesus’ feet. The problem is that sometimes we lay it down and pick it right back up again. It soon becomes so heavy that we cannot carry it anymore and that is when we want to quit. When we try to do it alone, we will feel hopeless, and hopelessness is very heavy. Perseverance also requires us to be patient, something that none of us do very well. We have to be patient and wait on the Lord to do what He will in His time. It is hard for us to wait on a good day, but when we are struggling through difficult circumstances it is even harder for us.
Mary was in the midst of maybe some of the most difficult days of her life. She had watched her sick brother suffer and die and she could not understand it. She had called for Jesus because He was a friend, and she knew that He loved them, and He would come. He did come – too late in her eyes. He didn’t do what she thought He would/should do, and she lost hope. She lost hope because she forgot about who Jesus is because she was focusing on what He should have done but did not. He did not show up too late for Lazarus and He never shows up too late for us. Anytime that Jesus shows up, it is the perfect time, according to His plan.
We can all relate to how Mary was feeling. We have all gone through hard things and wondered why God didn’t fix it. There is a purpose for every single moment of our lives. God is working, even when it feels like He is nowhere near us. Just like with Mary, God always gives the answer we need in His perfect timing. He hears what we need and determines when we get it – according to His plan and what is best for us. We must trust Him with everything, even when it is not what we want.
So maybe what we need to do when we want to give up is that we do need to give up – we need to give up our control and our perception of how things should go. When we leave it in the Lord’s hands, we have to trust Him with all of it – the how, the who, and the when. We have to lay down our expectations just like we lay down our burdens.
If there is something in your life that you have given up on? Maybe you need to give it up to Him now. It is time to quit struggling with the heaviness of it and rest in Him. Don’t give up on God, give it up to Him. If you have given up on a dream or a vision or your calling, ask Him to rekindle His vision for you in your heart. Then trust Him to carry out His plan in His time.
