Stand Tall When You’re Ready To Fall
Have you ever wanted to quit? You just reach a point where you want to scream, “I can’t take it anymore!” I have been there many times! But, did you know, even God has wanted to quit before?
Have you ever wanted to just QUIT? Your boss hates you, you’ve had enough of your negative coworkers and you’re ready to walk away for good! Or, maybe you’ve tried so hard to make your business work, but no matter how hard you have labored, you can’t seem to make it work for you.
You’re not alone! Today, we’re literally taking a page straight out of the Bible, and it just might surprise and encourage you, while strengthening your faith and resolve.
All week, we’ve been talking about the role of failure – in your success. Counterintuitive, right? How could failure possibly have a role in success? Failure is a powerful teacher! And, as you learn to persist in the face of failure, you move on to bigger and better things. The road to success is paved with failure. It’s a package deal! So, this week we’ve focused on how to deal with those failures and how to keep going… even when all you want to do is quit.
Recently, I heard someone talk about how badly they wanted to quit, and it reminded me of how many times I’ve been there throughout my career as a businesswoman, as a TV/radio show host, as an author, as someone who has provided jobs for people for over two and a half decades. I have also wanted to quit as a wife and a mother, as a believer, as one who chose to pick up my cross and walk with the Messiah.
People want to quit on all kinds of things, for all kinds of reasons. Some want to quit on their marriage, when it gets hard or they get tired. For whatever reason, they just want to walk away. Some want to abandon their careers. They make a commitment and say they’re in it for the long haul, but now they’re ready to throw it all away.
You may be ready to quit on a goal or a dream you have been working toward. It could be a goal to finally pay off all of your debt, or to start your own business. Could be your goal is to travel the world, or to raise your children to be honorable and successful.
But maybe, things aren’t going according to plan. Maybe it’s harder than you ever pictured. Maybe you’ve hit a few roadblocks or had some setbacks, and you start thinking, “I can’t do this! I don’t know what I was thinking! I quit!”
So, how do you deal with this temptation to quit? Or better yet, what does God say about it?
Would you believe, even God wanted to quit a time or two? In Exodus, as God talks to Moses, He says, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I have commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have bowed themselves to it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt!’ I have seen this people, and see, it is a stiff-necked people! And now, let Me alone, that My wrath might burn against them and I consume them and I make of you a great nation.”
Did you catch that? God wanted to quit! And rightfully so!
They betrayed him! He did so much for them – rescued them, parted the Red Sea, delivered them from Egypt, provided for them, gave them everything they needed – and they turned their backs on Him! Not only did they turn their backs, but they started worshiping OTHER gods! They worshiped idols they made with their own hands!
So, God was mad! He was hurt, betrayed, upset. He basically said to Moses, “Man, I’m done! I’m washing my hands of these people. After all I’ve done for them, they’re still stiff-necked, stubborn, idolatrous FOOLS! I’m DONE!”
Have you ever been there with your staff? Your spouse? Your kids? Your friend? Your church? Your business? Other people in your life? You do so much for them, and what did they do? Have you ever helped someone out of a pit, just so they can turn around and say, “Oh, HIM? HER? They didn’t help! That was all me!” Or they even give the credit to someone else, saying, “That wasn’t you! It was George who helped me out of that pit!” Talk about a knife straight into the heart!
Bottom line, God wanted to quit because His people abandoned Him. Just one of the reasons people want to quit. I’ve been there so many times, and I’m sure you have, too. But, what’s the rest of the story?
Moses PLEADED with God and said, “Why does Your wrath burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘For evil He brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from the heat of Your wrath, and relent from this evil to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, ‘I increase your seed like the stars of the heavens. And all this land that I have spoken of I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.'”
And guess what happens? It says, “And the Lord relented from the evil which He said He would do to His people.”
God wanted to quit. He wanted to say, “Forget it! These people keep turning on me, and I’m OUT!”
Then why didn’t God walk away that day? Moses reminded God of His promises to Israel. He reminded God of the promise He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) – all dead, by the way! Moses reminded God of His promise and commitment to them.
THEN Moses held God accountable to His own character. It’s very clear what Moses said here, “Hey, if you kill all of these people, what will they say about you in Egypt? That you delivered them from Egypt only to kill them?! That’s gonna make you look bad! Is that really how you want to be known? Is that really who you are? NO! You’re a faithful Father! That’s not your character, so don’t bring that evil against your people!”
I know you may be thinking, “Okay Dani, this is all well and good, but what does it have to do with me?”
WHAT or WHO are YOU about to quit on? Who are you ready to turn away from and say, “Forget you! I’m done with you”? Who has hurt you, betrayed you or turned their back on you? Who has caused you to want to quit? What are the things in your life you are ready to give up on?
I want you to really think about that today. You and I both have those people and situations in our lives, and it’s time to deal with them!
You may also act as a “Moses” for someone else in a situation like this. Maybe they hit a hard spot, they can’t handle it anymore, they’re ready to walk away. So, you say, “Hey, remember this commitment you made? Don’t walk away, don’t give up! That’s not your character! You are faithful, diligent, excellent! You’ve got this! You can finish this!”
Just as I’ve asked every day this week, I want you to leave me a comment below. Let me know your thoughts about today’s topic. Please tell me what (or who) you have already given up on or are about to walk away from.
Let me leave you with this: you are NOT a quitter! You will NOT give up! You will not walk away! You will persist, you will persevere, you will finish strong! You will succeed! You were born to succeed! That’s who you are! That’s your character! Come on, don’t walk away now! You’ve got this! Now, go get ’em!
In great faith,
P.S. Like what you read here? Just hit any of the social media buttons below! That will help your friends and followers find this message!
Have you ever wanted to quit? You just reach a point where you want to scream, “I can’t take it anymore!” I have been there many times! But, did you know, even God has wanted to quit before?
Stop trying to figure out “who” you are, what you “want” or your “passion” – satisfaction does NOT come from finding the “perfect” job or a position that “fits” your passion…it comes from doing these TWO simple things!
Let’s spend a moment exploring the importance of faith in business…. faith is not based on proof, and it needs no evidence… and we were all born with this precious gift of faith.