“God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.” Psalm 145:14 MSG
I’m going to be honest, 2015 was extremely challenging for me. Over the course of the year life presented me with plenty of opportunities and reasons to throw in the towel. I am sure that you have found several opportunities to quit too. Last year I actually contemplated quitting several things for several reasons, but I found at least 5 reasons why I didn’t quit, and there are at least 5 reasons you shouldn’t quit this year either.
I gave serious consideration to quitting.
Sounds strange, but thinking of quitting can actually inspire you NOT to quit. Most people who quit don’t really think it through. The more I consider it, the more I was forced to make it an issue of discernment and not a response to disappointment. There is a HUGE difference so let me explain. Discernment is the sense that winning the battle you’re currently facing isn’t worth the emotional and mental energy you will have to invest to win. Disappointment is when you’re unsatisfied. Simply put, immediate satisfaction is usually not the best system to determine if you should keep going. I’m learning to distinguish the difference. There are many things that I’m not so good at. There are many things that I just don’t like to do, because I am not so good at them. The reality is that I don’t have to like everything that I have to do in order to do them, but I don’t have to do every thing that may end up hurting me later either. It’s a delicate balancing act, one that I haven’t mastered yet, but learning the difference will usually help you know when to keep going, and when to take a step back.
Quitting is an option, but it’s not the only option.
Having to weigh the possibility of quitting can stimulate your creative juices. When thinking of throwing in the towel, we create an alternative ending to our story. The problem is we often don’t continue the very important work of constantly re-working that ending. As an adult diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, I learned that I tend to have two basic responses to being overloaded. A meltdown or shutdown. I usually tend to do the latter when I’m faced with a situation that makes me want to quit. The truth is most of us quit because we react before we reflect. This one is difficult for me, because I tend to have extreme internal reactions to difficult challenges, especially challenges that I can’t control. On the other hand I also have an extremely powerful imagination so I’m learning that I have to be willing to create more than one scenario in my mind, one where quitting is only ONE option. This can be challenging in the moment, but I’ve actually found that when given permission, my mind can help me creatively solve most of the problems I believed would cause me to quit when I am more open to all the possibilities and not just the worst case scenario.
Evaluate what you believe versus what the burden is.
Being overwhelmed with problems can damage your faith, your hope, and your optimism but quitting something should always be a matter of belief rather than of burden. Before you quit something, try to be led by your deepest core values and convictions. What do you believe about the quality of life you can live? What do you believe about you child’s value? What do you believe about your ability to make a positive influence, even if it doesn’t’ feel that way in the moment? Life is full of burdens, but I’ve found the best way to live is by allowing what I believe, to determine how I proceed.
One of the main reasons I didn’t quit last year is because I finally I realized that I did have something good to look forward to.
Being in the middle of a mess or a meltdown can be frightening, but we can see the good if we look for it.
One of the best ways to maximize positive energy and optimism is to practice a life of gratitude.
I like to say it like this, “Develop the intention to pay attention.” When life becomes overwhelming we tend to miss opportunities for optimism. There are often many ways that goodness is peering through the dark moments of life, we just have to be willing to pay attention to what is going right. Quitters tend to be overly pessimistic. Paying attention to the moments of love and grace provided in the middle of life’s difficulties can draw our eyes and heart toward the best that even the worst situations have to offer.
Last but not least, the grass isn’t always greener.
When things don’t go well, our most natural inclination is to switch to something else because we assume anything would be better than what we are currently experiencing. Often times we feel that transitioning to something else will provide instant relief and gratification, yet the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. True, there are some instances where the grass is actually greener elsewhere but just remember that green grass could be the result of a lot of fertilizing. Simply put, you don’t know how much manure it took to get the grass that green, so the place you are thinking of running to may be even crappier than the place you are trying to run from. Besides quitting and doing something different isn’t always a guaranteed way to get relief. Sometimes completing the process, no matter how difficult, can bring you the relief that you’re looking for because you can at least say you have accomplished something that was worth fighting for.
When all else fails and you really feel like quitting. Pray. It just may be what your challenges are challenging you to do.
“God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.” Psalm 145:14 MSG
Stay Strong
Pastor L
#autismpastor
