Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately?

I remember reading a book by this title when I was much younger.  Although it seemed like a strange and stretched out name, I still recall how I hungrily read its pages. I was in great need of being encouraged and was consoled to hear a ‘voice’ throughout its chapters that understood me and and the reality that at times life was tough and that it was easy to give in and give up walking the narrow path of discipleship and deep faith.

This challenge was not alien to the greatest of  people we meet in the Bible either: Elijah, Jeremiah and Peter all had very low moments. But someone once said that whilst mountain peaks reward you with great vistas, fruit is grown in valleys. And this is what I was led to discover: as long as I clung on to the Lord, he really did turn all things for my good. This is the testimony of countless people today. The key is to choose to trust God at all times.

There are moments in life when we feel like giving up: it may be a difficult family situation, some misunderstanding with people who are close to us, failure in a job or our studies, the rejection of someone we once shared our love and life with, a struggle with a habit or an addiction, an untimely death of a close relative, an injustice at work, emotional problems … and the list can go on. In some cases, individuals may find themselves struggling with a habit or an addiction, such as the need for professional treatment for alcohol addiction.

We may be tempted to wonder where God is in all this. Our heavenly Father wants us pray and to express our deepest anguish and fears – we must never lose hope. We need to keep close to Him and humble seek the counsel and support of others in the Christian community. We need to make His Word  the bedrock upon which we build our lives, the path with which align our thoughts and the light in which we take our decisions.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Gal. 6:9

Have you felt like giving up lately?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rom. 15:13