When life throws us curveballs, sometimes our first reaction is to quit. But even if you strike out, never cease to go up to bat again. However, to just keep moving on when times get tough is a lot easier said than done.
Always continue
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No matter what your bump in the road is, always continue. Did you lose your job? Apply for another job. Maybe you will find a different career that you didn’t realize you had a passion for. Continue to work hard. Did a relationship you had with someone you love end? Don’t stop loving people, continue to love. Did someone hurt you in a way that makes you want to give up on ever trusting anyone again? Continue to forgive because forgiving that person is what can help that hurt they caused for you to start to fade away. Did you fail at achieving your biggest dream? Don’t stop dreaming, continue to dream. Fill in the blank for any situation that you face. Whatever it is, always continue.
I am a firm believer that there is a season for everything and that includes the season of waiting. I believe that God wants us to set aside time to initially rest. I believe that there are parts of life that we are supposed to just wait on His timing. But I also believe that we should never quit.
When are the moments in life that we are tempted to just give up? When are the moments in life that we feel like failures or worthless? I have personally found that I feel this way when I place my worth where it does not belong. We are meant to enjoy the lives that God has given us. We are meant to love people, to have hobbies, to have goals, to have relationships and to have dreams. But what we are not meant to do is put our worth in those things. You may be a great parent and/or businessperson, but that’s not what makes you successful. You may be an athlete, but that’s not what makes you valuable. You may be a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse, but that is not where your happiness is rooted. I’m glad that roles in our lives like these are not the ones that define us because they are all temporary. When these roles in our lives end, we find ourselves feeling like failures, worthless and unhappy.
But how do we keep moving on in life? All this talk about continuing on in life is much easier said than done. Where do we find the strength to move on when we feel stuck? People say that to find your strength you should just gather everything within you. But I don’t think that’s right. I believe that the strength to continue does not come from within ourselves, it comes from God, our source of true strength. If He can hold our entire universe together, He can help you to continue doing whatever it is that you feel like quitting. Isaiah 40:29 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
If we are not defined by our life roles such as our family roles (parent, brother sister, etc.) our careers, our relationships, our goals or our dreams, then what are we defined by? Where can we place our worth that will not fade or change? The one thing that lasts forever is the love that Jesus has for you. Isn’t it comforting to know that we can place our value and happiness in something that lasts forever? Matthew 7:24-25 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Romans 8:37-39 “37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So, when life gets tough and you feel like quitting, don’t give up. Enjoy life and all of the roles that you have in it, but do not place your worth and happiness in those things. You are loved by the maker of everything. Build your house where the storms cannot knock it down. Always continue and know where your value is found.
