What to Do When You Want to Give Up
What do you do when you want to give up?
It’s easy to give up when life becomes overwhelming.
All rationale seems to bow down to the fact that this thing, whatever it is, is simply too difficult to push past.
I was left feeling this way just last week after a long, busy month.
With homeschooling in full swing, 2 kids birthdays 1 week apart, 2 life plan retreats a week apart and a blog to run, I literally thought I was going to lose it last month.
I was ready to throw something, anything out the window.
I just wanted something off my plate.
My immediate thought was to start cutting things out.
Intense times can cause me to make irrational decisions.
So rather than make a hasty decision, I decided to talk through my frustrations with my husband.
He kindly reminded me that these were all things God has lead me to do.
I immediately became aware of why I was feeling so overwhelmed….I was slacking in my time with the Lord.
He is my source of strength and I had put Him on the bottom of my priority list.
What to Do When You Want to Give Up
I love this scripture from Philippians:
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13 NLT
God knows my heart. I desperately want to do what pleases Him. But I often try to do His work in my strength.
It’s never successful.
I read a post this week that shows what to do when we want to give up. She uses the acronym H.O.P.E, using each point to bring us back to relying on God in a way that allows His power to flow to us.
Her first point immediately drew me in….
H- Hold on to God’s Promises
When we go through hard times it can be difficult to find and hold on to the truth about our situation. Over the years I have learned to seek out the Truth in scripture. The Bible is full of God’s promises to us. No matter what you are facing there is a promise to get you through.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37 ESV
Praying God’s promises will help you know the truth. You will be able to combat the lies of the enemy. You can remember that with God you are victorious!
LaToya Edwards
When we feel overwhelmed and we want to give up, we can go to the Word and declare God’s promises. The truth is we are more than conquerors in Christ. He sustains us even when life is busy and overwhelming. We can be confident that we will be victorious in whatever we do because He is on our side.
Wow, you’ve had a lot going on! Thank God for the promises of His Word to help us keep it together!
May God give you abundant grace, friend. I love how time with Him equips us, we receive His wisdom, power and love, even a few minutes are long enough for us to grab hold of His promises.
These words of wisdom are coming at just the right time for me. And I need the reminder that just because something feels “too hard” does not mean that it’s not God will or plan for me.
Alisa, boy can I relate to the feelings of overwhelm! I tend to go through the same cycle over and over again, of trying to do things in my own strength and power, to realizing I’m WAY TOO STRESSED OUT, and falling back at the feet of Jesus yet again. Thank goodness He is patient with us.
This was just what I need to hear today! It confirmed what the Lord is already saying to me. Thank you for sharing.
-Rachel
Boy have I been feeling this way lately. It’s so incredible to feel the peace wash over us when we go to God. He is our refuge and always knows how to ground us and show us our situation from His perspective. Thanks for inspiring me this week!
It seems when I am overwhelmed I am always slacking on my time with God. When I am smart and know I am going into a season of difficult that is the first place I start each day. I just have to, or I won’t make it through. It does sound like you had lots on your plate. I recently felt overwhelmed and almost gave up something that fuels me. It was the only thing I could see to give up. So glad I didn’t.