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Jun 18, 2023 06:00am

What To Do When You Want to Quit

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Following Jesus is hard.

That’s the hard truth.

For over 30 years now, I’ve been running full speed at this thing called Christianity. Doing my best to study, learn and teach the Bible, to serve others, to stay the course and to stay calm. I’ve gotten out of bed every Sunday morning — with very few exceptions — for four decades and gone to a house of worship. I have a solid church family. I’ve seen God move. I’ve experienced His transforming power in my life and I know He has saved my soul and changed who I am. I could show you prayer journal after prayer journal with an answered prayer on nearly every page.

By God’s grace, my life is good by every standard.

But, I’m telling you, following Jesus is hard.

Now, before I start in with the whining, I will say this: hard is not the same thing as bad. And easy should not automatically be assigned as good.

But hard always feels bad and hard is common.

So, I’m just trying to be genuine–to let you know, especially if you are new to the Christian faith, that even “good” Christians struggle. People who have been following the Lord for a very long time have moments of doubt, seasons of discouragement, and thoughts of giving it all up and walking away.

We’ve just learned how to hide it really, really well.

I want to be honest with you. The world has come at me from every angle, and I’ve been tempted to commit the most terrible sins. The sinful nature in me still wants what I want. As the great apostle Paul said, my flesh is at war with my spirit. I know what I should do, but I do what I don’t want to do. I get so irritated with myself and down on myself for dealing with some of the same old issues. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever find victory?

As much as God has changed me, the struggle is still real. After all these years, I am still a work in progress. Maybe it doesn’t bother you, but sometimes dealing with the unwelcome parts of who I still am, despite who I know God has called me to be, is hard.

And then there are the people.

People are difficult. Ministry is so ridiculously messy. People are hard.

I’ve been the victim of gossip and had my heart broken by fellow believers. I’ve invested years into people, trying to help them see the truth and hope of Jesus only to watch them sink back into their pit of sin and despair. I’ve watched people surrender to ministry with great faith and then been so disappointed when they turned and walked away. There have been people who should have loved and encouraged and supported me, but chose to unfriend me or reject me with really no explanation.

People from the church.

There have been seasons when church was hard.

Sometimes hard because of the imperfect people there, people like me, and sometimes because of my own critical spirit. Seasons when worship was manufactured and everything felt messed up. Times when the internal battle waged over secret frustration toward the pastor or the deacon or the teacher or the little old man next to me who just wasn’t doing the right thing or things right.

When grief was real and clouded everything.

When people just didn’t get it and I just wanted to stay away.

Oh friends, I’ve been ready to quit.

I’ve had the thoughts, is this really worth it? What do “normal” people do on a Sunday morning? What would it be like to have “Sunday Funday” instead of…this? Won’t God just do what He’s going to do anyway? Does it really matter if I am here?

Would anyone even miss me if I was gone?

Pretty dramatic, huh?

But, that’s the hard truth.

Christianity requires more of me than I have to give sometimes and maybe, just maybe, you’ve been around this track too?

Jesus himself warned people that following Him would cost them everything. It wouldn’t be easy. To find life we’d have to learn to lay ours down.

Easy has never been the same thing as good. Sometimes hard is best.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about how to handle these “just give up” feelings. Here’s my quick list:

1. Recognize these feelings are just that–feelings. They change.
Learn to wait, to listen, to pray, to watch, and to give things, and people, time.

2. Lean in to what God is doing. God is always trying to teach or correct something — especially when things are hard. Typically, He wants to reveal sin so we can confess it, change our minds and receive mercy and grace to move forward. But, sometimes the truth is hard to hear and even harder to accept.

And people quit.

Jesus faced this scenario in the book of John chapter 6. He delivered some hard truths and difficult to understand teaching and the people did not like it. They were offended. Verse 66 reads, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

They quit.

But, here’s where I always circle back:

3. Surrender to the truth that there is no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go! Listen to the continuation of the story above…

“So Jesus said to the twelve,” in verse 67, “Do you want to go away as well?”

(I’ve heard him ask that question in my own heart more times than I want to admit.)

“Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” vs. 68-69.

The absolute reality is Jesus is not only enough, He is all there is! Nothing else in this world satisfies or fulfills the human soul like a relationship with Jesus. A life completely surrendered, living on mission for the Kingdom, immersed in the Word of God, full of purpose is a life well-lived…even when it gets hard.

Especially when it gets hard.

God begins to do His best work there.

Living with intention is constant surrender and sacrifice. It’s hard. It’s not always fun. It’s painful and at times even feels unfair somehow. But, living for Jesus and following Him is so worth it.

Abundant life is only found in Him!

So, be encouraged, my friends. If living out your faith is hard right now, stay focused.

Focus on the prize.
Let stuff go.
Remember the JOY that is coming.
Reflect on the worthiness of Jesus Christ, our Savior, Lord and Best Friend.

And acknowledge you can’t go back. If you’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, to whom else would you go?

If following is hard right now and the struggle is real, the answer is easy; don’t quit.