Women’s Corner: Don’t Give Up!
“I want to quit!” Have you ever felt like saying that to God about something in your life? I have. Maybe it’s a commitment that became bigger or more demanding than it ever was supposed to be. It could be a relationship that always takes and never gives back. Sometimes working on a new discipline or trying to break a bad habit can leave us feeling drained. We become weary, and we just want to give up.
When we are in the will of God and yet we feel this way, God can use our situation to develop perseverance in us. So, how can we draw the strength we need to persevere?
- Personal Time with God
When we are struggling to find the strength to keep going, our personal time with God each day is vital. We need to allow God to strengthen us and guide our way. It is when we are alone with Him that we quiet our own voice and allow Him to speak to us. “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).
Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, and Jesus used Scripture to respond to him. God’s Word is powerful! Memorizing Scripture that applies to our situations can be used as a weapon to fight back discouragement. 2 Corinthians 9:8 can bring hope in our most difficult situations: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
- Keep the Right Perspective
When we feel our spirits growing tired, it is an important time to stop and check our perspective. Are we looking at our situation from a self-centered viewpoint, or are we viewing it as ministry and service for the Lord? Jesus is the perfect example of a servant leader. We need that example because in our flesh, voluntary servanthood can chafe against our pride. We can grow resentful when those to whom we are serving or ministering do not appreciate our hard work or criticize us instead of showing gratitude. We need to live out Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
It is crucial to remember that our time here on earth is very short in the grand scheme of eternity. Holding onto this truth can help us see that there will be an end to the struggles we are facing now. 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 offers this encouragement: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
- The Rewards
God in His goodness tells us that there are special rewards for our continued labor when things are difficult. In James 1:4 we read, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” And in Galatians 6:9 we read, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Maturing in our spiritual life and the promise of a harvest one day are just two of the blessings that can motivate us to stay steadfast in the midst of a difficult season.
Hang in there! Whatever we face, we do not face it without the Lord. Our challenges here will have an end one day. Take comfort in these wonderful truths!
Trace Odom, IBC Women’s Team,Metterich, Germany