Don't Quit

I know sometimes we all get fed up with our our lives are going at one point or another. When we get in those times, we are only seeing one snapshot of our life. We aren't looking at the memories behind us and we can't see the future in front of us. We see only one time that seems tough and nothing is going quite right.

We want to give up, say nothing is obviously paying off, and who would even notice if we stopped all of our hard work. The whole problem with feeling that way is that when we looks back through our memories, we remember being frustrated throughout the process but when we see the end results, it's worth it. Just because we don't see immediate results doesn't mean that we won't see them in the long-run. We are so impatient and want our lives to be at the rate of fast food instead of a sit down restaurant.  When I stop and think about life, I would rather sit down and take my time rather than rush through it all. Yes, we get frustrated. Yes, we want to quit. If you quit, you are making all of your work a waste of time. It's a self-fulling prophecy. You cause yourself to fail when you quit. If we keep going, our hard work pays off, even if it isn't quite in the way we expect.

The payoff could be getting exactly what we want or it could be the realization that what we thought we wanted really isn't the path we want to take. When we get fed up with not getting what we think we want, we just give up. It's like the little kid who wants that ice cream cone and when he doesn't get it, he throws a temper tantrum kicking and screaming. He ends up pouting and being mad when in reality he didn't get that ice cream cone because it was right before dinner.

We don't know what is going to happen next, we don't see the big picture. God can, we can't. That's where trust comes in. Trust that He will lead you where you need to go, not where you want to go. We may want that ice cream cone, but we really find out later that a healthy dinner before dessert is exactly what we needed. We'll also find that what we needed is really what we want in the long run.

So, when we get frustrated and want to quit, we need to remember that we could be on the horizon of getting to where we need to be. If we hold on, then everything could work out to being more than we can ever hope for, way better than a little ice cream cone.

Let Go

Sometimes in the hectic pace of life I need to take a break. When the week ends and I finally get a break, sometimes I just can't keep up the pace. Usually I have an even longer list of things to get done on the weekends than during the week. Most weekends I successfully complete my list and maybe even sleep a little. Then there are those few weekends that I just crash and burn. I get to Friday evening and all I want to do is be lazy. I want to sleep in, or rather catch up on the sleep that I've missed in the past several weeks. Hibernation sounds like an amazing idea at that point.

When I feel like that, my neatly written list of to dos don't get crossed out. Things go undone and it's all because I just need a break, even if it drives me crazy and I have to make it up later. At least, I used to have to make it up. Even though I tend to be the clean freak and love to do the laundry and wash the dishes (which Brian thinks is just weird), Brian picks up the slack when I need to let things slide a little.  As much as I would love to be super wife and do everything, I know I need Brian's help. So, on those weekends that I let things slide, he steps in and helps with the laundry and the dishes. Even though Brian doesn't like either chore, he does it anyway.

It took me a while to let go of those things, because I would love to not make him do it when I like doing those chores. But when you need help, you just need to let go. I've always struggled with that option. I'm your classic overachiever. I'd like to do my job and more and look good doing it.

Yet, it just reminds of how God is in our life. When we get to the point that we let go a little bit, He steps in to pick up the slack. He keeps you going, keeps your momentum. He proves that if you would relax a little, stop worrying as much and let go of the reins, life would not fall apart. Instead you may be pleasantly surprised.

As I've noticed with my life with Brian, when I let go a little, things still get done. The world does not fall apart, it does not end. Instead, I usually get through the weekend feeling rested and ahead for the next week. When I try to do it all by myself I barely make it through my list and usually start the next week even more tired than I was going end. It's a unending cycle that makes me crave sleep. When I accept the help I get more done and I get some sleep.

When I started giving things to God, my life got easier. I don't worry as much as I used to, I don't wonder what I'm doing with my life, don't question if what I'm doing is right. Instead, I'm still moving through life, easier than before, and I feel as if I'm accomplishing much more than I was before handing over the reigns. Before, I worked in retail, had no life, and didn't have much to show for. Now, I have an amazing job that is relevant to my degree, have time for friendships, fellowship and family, and have so many blessings it's amazing.

Sometimes, when life gets hard and you can't keep a handle on things, maybe it's because you just need to let go. It's scary and you won't know what to expect but when you hand over those reigns, life gets so much easier. You'll still have that long list of to dos sometimes, but accomplishing them will be easier when you aren't worried about life in general.

Just let go.