I quit!

“I quit! I guess I’ll never be able to tie my shoes. Guess I can’t go to kindergarten.” My son’s heart wrenching dramatic despair played like a broken record over and over in my mind. Why does he always quit before he begins? I just don’t get it! Trying to grasp a hold of why my son constantly defeats himself before he even begins has been an ongoing frustration these past few months. For a former farm girl, the concept of quitting or lack of attempting to work is such an abstract concept that it hurts my head trying to imagine what that attitude would be like to have. Yet, I had to get deeper into the root of the problem.

“I’m just not good at anything!” What a lie my son kept listening to. But don’t we listen to the same lies ourselves? You’re a loser. You talk too much. You don’t work hard enough. You are always late. Everyone else is better. You’re just not good enough. I would have to agree only with the last statement. We are not good enough. In the eyes of God, we do not add up to His standards, but don’t worry; you are in good company for we all “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) meaning none of us are good enough. It’s only through the blood of Jesus that we gain the boldness to rebuke the lies being told and instead take hold of the freedom that we have been given when He was nailed to the cross with all of our shortcomings, even the ones that we were unaware of, but God knew.

“Son, do you remember David?” a silent nod. “ Do you remember how David defeated Goliath?” A small smile began to form as his eyes acknowledged one of his favorite biblical men. “Remember how David had all of that time to practice defending his sheep against bears, and lions? What would have happened if he didn’t practice or if he just decided not to try to slay Goliath? Do you think the giant would have killed him instead?” The gleam of recognition began to brighten. “If you don’t try then you won’t be able to overcome the giant you are trying to defeat. Plus, did David have help?”

“Yes, God helped him.”

“Exactly. Now, try tying your shoes again and don’t quit. When you are stuck, ask God to help you.” With a brightened disposition, my son turned and proceeded to practice tying again.

Remember that you are not alone when you face the giants of life. God is on your side and the war is already won. Take a hold of the victory, run, and never quit!