What To Do When You Feel Like Giving Up
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” -1 Corinthians 9:24
Can I be honest with you?
I feel like giving up all of the time! Sometimes I would take on a new project and halfway through I realised it was much harder than I expected. I would get frustrated with myself for making silly mistakes or not getting something perfect on the first try. At times, I fall into temptation and I just want to throw in the proverbial Christian towel and give up on the whole thing.
Do you feel like that sometimes?
Related Post: When You Feel Like Giving Up On God
It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional basketball player or a housewife, we’ve all had moments where we feel like enough is enough. A sense of helplessness seeps in and makes us believe that there’s nothing that we can do to help the situation anymore, so you might as well just stop trying. You feel like what you’re doing is never going to be good enough and success is a far-off fantasy.
This sense of helplessness can come when you’ve started a new project, or feeling stuck in the same old habits. A cycle of continuous failure may abound with seemingly no way of escape. You may feel like giving up on school, on your marriage or even on becoming healthy. A decision to give up comes first with a mental shift. You have to actively and consciously make a decision that whatever you’re trying to accomplish isn’t worth the trouble and therefore giving up is the best option.
It may seem very tempting to abandon a once cherished goal because you may have difficulty reaching it. Maybe you’ve set too high standards for yourself or maybe you aren’t reaching your goals as fast as you expected. When it comes to mental illness especially, learned helplessness contributes to increased feelings of depression and anxiety.
In an article for Psychology Today, Dr. Amy Przeworski states:
“Life can teach you that you are ineffective and that your behaviours don’t have any effect on what happens in your life. And if you learn that lesson, you give up trying. You have learned helplessness.”
My Father always said, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” The decision not to give up has to begin with the building up of mental fortitude, a change of attitude and a willingness to learn from mistakes. In the face of consistent struggle, a mentally strong person will say:
“Struggle is an option but failure is not.”
So how do we become (what I’d like to call) successful failures? What are some of the tools from the Bible that we can find to teach ourselves never to give up, even in the face of failure?
Related Post: Does God Not Want me to be Happy?
Here are five tips I’ve found from God’s word that can help when you feel like giving up:
1. Pray
“…..The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
It may seem like a cliché at this point, but I still think it bears repeating; prayer changes things. Our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to ask for help. When you find yourself stuck and wanting to give up, pray and ask God what He wants you to do. Perhaps you will find the strength you need to move forward when you depend on God to carry you.
2. Change your perspective
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”Psalm 51:10
We can trust in God’s creating power and his re-creating power. The mind is the start and end of all battles. Whenever you feel like giving up, ask God to change your mind. Looking at things with a renewed spirit, may give a clearer perspective on goals and give you the strength you need to carry on.
3. Surround yourself with positive-minded people
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17
There is a famous quote: ‘show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.’ The quote still reigns true today. If you surround yourself with people who have no ambition for betterment in their lives, chances are they are going to discourage you from achieving your goals. However, if you surround yourself with believers who encourage and uplift you even when you fail, there is a greater chance that you will want to carry on instead of just giving up.
4. Become focused on the Outcome, not the Process
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:3
Jesus calls us to look to the future. He is preparing a place for us, therefore our existence here is only a part of the journey. It’s easy to get fixated on the process rather than the outcome. No matter what you’re going through right now, pain and struggle are all part of the journey. When you focus on the process all you can see are the issues and problems, but when you focus on the outcome your vision is fixed on the victory. Turning your gaze on what’s to come rather than what is, helps you to gain a clearer perspective. You then begin to understand that your current position is not your final destination.
5. Try again
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
God refuses to give up on us. When we sin He picks us back up, dusts us off and helps us back on the right track. Over and over he continues this, no matter how many times we’ve fallen. You may not have the strength to continue carrying on but God can supply you with the power not to give up. Just because you’ve failed doesn’t make you a failure. There is hope in getting up and trying again because we know that all things work together for good in the end (Romans 8:28).
Consider the struggle as stepping stones to success.
Prayer for Today:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for encouraging me to carry on. I know once there’s life there is hope for the future. I am grateful for the promise of a sure future in your kingdom. Give me the strength never to give up on you.
Amen.
References:
https://everydaypower.com/when-you-feel-like-giving-up-2/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dont-worry-mom/201402/when-you-feel-giving
Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.
