The first time I thought of the subject for this month’s blog post was about 2 months ago. Actually, this post should have been completed in February, but it’s almost a whole week into March and I’m very behind my self-imposed schedule. It’s not because I gave up though!
I'm telling you this because 2 months
ago, I had no clue that I’d feel the way I do now. I didn’t feel as though I
needed to give up on anything then! I was actually feeling very good because I
had not given up, and I believed that
God had finally answered my prayer. That was then.
This is now.
I am feeling defeated. I feel like giving up. I may spend some time in
self-pity, but I can’t stay there. I seek to try to figure it out. Where did I
go wrong? Did I go wrong?
Maybe that was not the plan! I believe I may have taken the wrong path thinking that it was the right one. That can happen
sometimes, too, especially when we jump into something just because we’ve
been waiting for it for so long.
Just because
I was praying when it happened doesn’t necessarily mean that it was the correct
answer to my prayer. Things had drastically changed. I didn’t pause to pray. I
didn’t verify it with God. Was it the correct path or not? I know that it was not the correct path now.
As
difficulties came, several friends had recently and specifically told me: “Don’t
give up!” I thought to myself, I’m not giving up! Now that would be so much
easier to just give up and stop trying. Yet, I pressed on to win the race, as
the Bible tells us to do.
So, I took a
little time going along that road, and it was bumpy and difficult. It also had some excitement and wonder. It was different and somewhat encouraging, but then it began to
become very discouraging with a few steep hills and a few very deep valleys. I started to want to give up. Then, what I thought I had gained
was quickly snatched away from me.
I know I’m
being evasive and not specific about what happened to me. Many times I share
intimate details of my own life to help you with yours. This time I will
refrain from sharing the details.
Within a very
short time, suddenly, everything quickly changed! Any thing can change in the
blink of an eye! Suddenly can be good news and suddenly can be bad news. This
was suddenly bad news.
Yet, should
we ever give up? No matter what came suddenly, we need to move forward. We need
to keep trying. We need to stay close to God.
Are you
giving up on your God-given dream? He gave you the extraordinary talent to
perform some kind of creative thing and the ability to make that dream into a
reality.
My Bible
study teacher pointed something out to me. Not only is God the Creator of the
world and the creator of every human being, but we were created in His image.
As such, we were each given something special to create, too.
Furthermore, God will give us what we need, but we must make the effort. We must utilize the talents and fuel the ideas he has given to us. We must implement these ideas and make them a reality. Don't just dream it, do it!
Do you give
up on eating for the fuel you need to live and move? No, of course not! Do you
give up on getting out of bed each day? Maybe you do at times. But why does one
stay in bed? Disappointments, failures, lack of belief in yourself, or lack of
hope? Probably even more because of the lack of communion with God and seeking His direction first.
We all start
questioning God. We tell Him, “If you loved me, then you’d answer my prayers.”
If He doesn’t answer our prayer or doesn’t answer quite the way we expect, we
seem to collapse. Why is it that God does not always answer our prayers? Or why doesn't the answer come with an
affirmation in our favor?
Maybe we
need to learn something. Maybe we need to learn how to be strong in the face
of failure and disappointments.
Don't allow the enemy, the devil, who prowls around to kill and destroy to get you
down. Just stop it!
I’d suggest
you read the Biblical account of the widow who was seeking justice from the
judge. That judge didn’t fear God or care about others. However, with righteous
persistence and without giving up, the widow was able to receive her due
justice.
With that
account, “... Jesus told his disciples a
story to show that they should always
pray and never give up.” (Luke 18:1 [added bold is my emphasis)
“Therefore, since God in His mercy has given
us this new way,” [to see beyond the veil] “we never
give up.” (2 Corinthians 4:1 — my emphasis in red and bold).
If you don’t
understand my words in brackets: “to see beyond the veil,” maybe you can let me
know by joining the site as a follower of my blog and posting a comment. I’d
love to hear from you!
Here are
several more Biblical scriptures about not giving up:
“So let's not get tired of doing what is
good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't
give up.”(Galations 6:9)
“... Have you forgotten the encouraging words God
spoke to you as his children? He said, ‘My child, don't make light of the Lord's
discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you.’ ” (Hebrews 12:5)
“But when the judge died, the people returned
to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them.
They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to
give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” (Judges 2:19)
“Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A
man will give up everything he has to save his life.” (Job 2:4)
“If you give up your lust for money and throw
your precious gold into the river, the Almighty himself will be your treasure.
He will be your precious silver! Then you will take delight in the Almighty and
look up to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will
fulfill your vows to Him. You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and
light will shine on the road ahead of you. If people are in trouble and you
say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them. Even sinners will be rescued; they will
be rescued because your hands are pure.” (Job 22:24-30)
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave
up
His life for us. So we also ought to give up
our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16)
“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins
out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.” (Isaiah 1:16)
“If you cling to your life, you will lose it;
but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will
lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good
News, you will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will
lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Luke
9:24)
In the last
three Bible verses, three different disciples (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are all
telling us God’s Word in nearly the same way.
Do you
believe it? I sure hope so, and I'm praying for you and for me, too. Then we won’t give up. We will keep trying. We will move
forward. We will use our God-given talents to create something wonderful and
beautiful that will count for eternity.
Until we
virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for Today:
“Think of all the hostility He [Jesus Christ] endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up.” (Hebrews 12:3)
Copyright © 2016 by Patricia
Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various
translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set it italics.
