Just Give Up

Just give up.

You should quit.

Stop trying.

Wait a minute.  Before you get upset, or do something rash like quit your job. Let me explain.

So often we are told to keep going. Work harder. If you don’t like the results you’re getting, you must put in more effort to gain control and achieve your goals.

To be fair, there is validity in that.  Many of the valuable things in our lives require effort. To be a good spouse, parent, employee, etc. we have to work at it.  There is nothing wrong with working hard at good things.

Galatians 6:9 tells us “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.” And Colossians 3:23 says “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

But, often in our relationship with God, we try to apply this same mindset.  At times we can sense that God is preparing us for something.  We are in a season of waiting and preparation.  We feel like if we were to try harder, do the right things, even be more spiritually disciplined; we will see the results we’ve been hoping for.

Or, we struggle with sin, shame, guilt over our past. We try to overcome these feelings on our own.  We figure that if we work hard enough and “act” good enough, we’ll win the battle on our own.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for something.  For a long time.  And, you don’t understand why it isn’t happening yet.  You see people all around you receiving what you’ve been hoping and praying for, but it just isn’t happening yet and you don’t get it.

Proverbs 16:9 says “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” 

Often in our lives, the only thing we can do is to let go of control and trust God with the outcome.  I’m sure many of us have experienced how difficult that can be.

The timing never works out how you want or expect it to.

The result is not exactly what you would have imagined.

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us “…let us throw off everything that weighs us down and the sins that so easily distract us and with perseverance run the race that lies ahead of us”

Unfortunately for us, because we are so conditioned to grip harder, the only thing we can do is let go.  We so badly want to control every element of every situation because we feel like control is the only way to get the result we want.

But, God wants us to learn the power of surrender.

Quit trying to control everything.  When God has you in a season of waiting, learn to wait on Him. When you are struggling with sin and shame and you want so badly to try to white-knuckle your way to healing… learn to lay it down before Him and let Him do the work of healing you.

The lesson in learning to give up is this:  When we let God control the timing and the result, we get the best outcome.

It may not look the way we expected it to, but it will be right.  It will be better.

It is scary to give up control, but letting God be the author of our lives means it will always turn out for the best. 

Because the story He tells through us will have Him in it. And He’s the best part of every story.

So give up.  Quit trying.  Let go of the reins and let Him take control.  You’ll be better for it.