Can’t get it together? Don’t give up!
When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
Despite the titles that scream at us from book shelves, there really is no seven-step plan to a deeper relationship with God, no five-point promise to a prosperous soul, and no 30-day experience toward knowing the mind of Christ.
Eugene Peterson in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, says this:
“Everyone is in a hurry. Everyone wants shortcuts. They are impatient for results. They have adopted the lifestyle of a tourist and only want the high points. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness. Growth, or discipleship, is more like cooking with a crock pot, instead of a microwave. It can be slow, long, and difficult, but is always the best way. “
If at work, things aren’t going the way you think God wants them, don’t give up!
If your relationships are struggling, even though you are acting righteously, don’t give up!
If your world is crashing and you want to throw in the towel of your faith, don’t give up!
If you don’t understand the mysteries of our faith and can’t grasp the big picture, don’t give up!
If sin drags you down…again… and you just can’t get over the hump, don’t give up!
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| Joining up with Bonnie Gray today, as she explores “quitting” |
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
— Hebrews 12:1
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