Just give up. Restless, anxious and fearful of the outcome. I heard a whisper in my spirit with those three words. It wasn’t forceful yet I somehow knew it wasn’t a suggestion either. It was an instruction – a command even. God wanted me to give up.
no!
My first response was ‘no’. Yep, that’s right I told God ‘no’. I didn’t wanna give up and I couldn’t understand why God would want me to. Did he want me to admit failure, to submit to the pressures of negativity? Why would God tell me to give up in the face of my trials and troubles? I just didn’t get it and I didn’t want to do it. It simply goes against my nature. I mean I don’t give up – I fight, I push through.
Yet that was just it. I was holding on to my nature. That human side wants to prevail and overcome at whatever costs. Here’s the thing: I know His voice. I heard those words. So I knew that ‘no’ I wanted so badly to enforce was not the right response. Instead, I repented, I adjusted, I questioned and I listened. That’s right – I still had questions but the difference was I waited on His answer.
it’s okay to question.
I have never been of the belief that asking God for an explanation or reason is a sin. I believe He wants us to converse with Him as we do our closest friends. He wants us to build a relationship with Him and at times asking to learn and understand is part of that process. Knowing the difference between asking for understanding and questioning His wisdom is what matters.
As I sat and waited for my answer I thought again on the words themselves: just give up. Perhaps I was jumping to conclusions as to what they really meant?
the other side of ‘give up’.
The instant I heard the words ‘give up’ I felt as if God were telling me to fail. Yet is that the only side of things? Many times when people think of what it means to give up they see no more than the negative feelings it may bring. Feelings of failure: the failure to complete something, the failure to achieve something, or the failure to be something.
How many of y’all know God isn’t one who works according to what we expect? As I prayed on those words I began to realize God wasn’t telling me to fail. He was helping me to learn the other side of ‘give up’. When I give up my fear, worry, and anxiety to God it releases me from failure. To give up those things I gain peace, joy, and happiness what I once saw as a failure now becomes my victory.
Allowing myself to understand that in God I’m not meant to handle everything on my own. The worries and anxieties of this world are not meant to be my burden. He desires to take those things away from me. This gives me the freedom I need to move forward in my path and leave behind the weights of doubt that hold me when I feel I need to do everything on my own.
i am not alone.
I’ve been that person who’s trying to hold on to things thinking I could fix them that I could somehow resolve the issues through own strength but in trying to do that all I found myself was frustrated and more upset than I needed to be. In trying to be the one in control I often lost control of my feelings, my emotions and in turn, became lost in my pain.
In telling me to ‘just give up’ God was reminding me that He is my source and resource. Through Him, I no longer need to be in control. I can experience His peace. The peace that passes understanding, the peace in the midst of a storm, the peace that can bring joy in the very presence of my enemy – His peace.
Needless to say, I chose to listen to those words. I gave up the anger, fear, anxiety and need to intervene in the situation and instead I just gave it up to God. He took over. He moved in ways I never expected and brought me to the other side of my struggle into victory and prosperity.
I’m thankful for my struggles, my trials, my tests, and my obstacles. through them, I’ve learned when I give up as a child of God I give up to God. I give up my human expectations and open my life up to the endless abundance He desires for me. I let go of the boundaries I set and embrace the limitless opportunities He has already planned to give me.
When’s the last time you chose to – Just Give Up?
“Believe in yourself, your passions, and your dreams. Your voice is unique - build on that. Embrace what is different about you and make it your greatest asset!”
- The ‘Dirt’ on Dirty Whiskey Craft Cocktail Bar - August 6, 2021
- I Never Went To Prom – Will A Fashion Show Do? - May 1, 2021
- Cape Fear Regional Theatre – Best In The House - May 1, 2021
