Ken Etchieson
It was the allure of rodeo life that drew Ken Etchieson to the sport. “I started out just like anybody else. I always had a […]
Don’t Give Up
JR and Ryatt Vezain - Courtesy of JR
Written by: JR Vezain
< Back to ArticlesWhy is it so important to never give up? Somedays giving up seems like the easy thing to do. We have all had those days where throwing in the towel seems like the right answer. It can be very frustrating working day in and day out towards something and not seeing the results you think you deserve. When you don’t see your hard work bringing you success, it has the tendency to drain you physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Giving up is the easy way out. But, quitting is not the answer. Giving up will not solve anything!
“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.”
Galatians 6:9
This verse says it all. Even when we think there is no way it will work out. When we are tired of getting beat down. When all the hard work, late nights, failed attempts, and everything else has you drug down, just remember at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if you dig in, dig deep, and don’t give up.
I heard a saying a while back I find myself referring to constantly on hard days. When I try to wiggle a toe and it still doesn’t wiggle. When I stand up with a walker and think today is the day and my knees still don’t lock. When I try to kick my leg out and it just dangles there. After all this time, approaching 11 months, all the hours of strenuous physical therapy. All the days spent staring at my toes, feet, and legs trying to get them to move. After all these months praying, seeking, reading, and believing. After the constant day in and day out of putting in the effort and working hard to conquer the odds. After all the early mornings and late nights catching a workout in the gym between managing our cattle and getting leather work done, so I can still provide for my family. After all this time, why am I not seeing the success and results I feel like I deserve? This saying helps me a lot, “God loves us too much to deliver us at anytime other than the perfect time.”
As Isaiah 55:8-9 claims, God’s ways are not like our ways. His thoughts are not like our thoughts. We cannot think like God thinks. We can’t fathom how God works. So who are we to say what we do and don’t deserve? All we are supposed to do is keep believing and not grow tired of doing what is good, because we will reap a harvest of blessing from the seeds we sow. Just like the story of Joseph, he could’ve given up when his brothers sold him into slavery. Or, when he ended up in prison for years. He could’ve quit trying. He could’ve given up on his dream, but he didn’t. He kept doing the tasks that God had laid in front of him day in and day out, and believing in the dream and vision God had given him until at the perfect time God delivered him to be Pharaohs right hand man, and save his family from the 7 year famine.
So, when you grow tired we can find strength and peace in these promises from God:
• “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalms 55:22
• “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
• “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
• “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
When you don’t see any progress, whether it’s in your dream business you’ve started and don’t see growing, your new weight loss program you’ve been doing for months and can’t shake the extra pounds, your physical breakthrough you are working towards, or any other trial that has you wore down and on the brink of giving up. Whatever it is, just remember Romans 8:18 “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” So, dig in, dig deep, keep your vision in front of you, and DON’T GIVE UP!
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