Sometimes you just want to give up!

Well, despite the exciting news about what's happening with the church and the new revelation that I received from the Simple Church book. Things have become very challenging for me lately.

It's interesting how the enemy works. P.C. is doing a series called "All Out War"; spiritual warfare. So far out of this entire series, I've only had the opportunity to attend one sermon. It was about relationships and how our tongue is the biggest tool of destruction of relationships; something that I took to heart. So why do I feel like I'm under attack? And why didn’t other people listen?

Rick Warren stated in a blog, "Discouragement is a choice." I don't disagree with that and know that when I'm discouraged I'm ineffective. However, over the last few weeks I've felt my sense of discouragement growing and growing. And what’s sad is that most of the discouragement seems to come from areas where it shouldn’t.

Things said like, “This book is a great resource. You can’t highlight a CD.” (In response to my question on whether the Simple Church book came on CD.) And other comments like, “A good leader is someone that reads.” Why have these stuck with me? Not sure…they just have. I guess it’s because as a leader I believe that we are called to exhort others, especially those in which we work so closely with. Some other challenges are when trying to make steps forward in areas of ministry through words or lack of interest I feel like I’m tripped and fall 5 steps back. I feel like I’m dismissed like, a child who has asked a parent to play with them when they’ve come home from a bad day at work or when there is a child in an adult service that is a little disruptive. What a vicious cycle! Right now, I laugh. But there have been many days of tears and nights when I’ve woken up and have cried out to God- “Something has got to give!” or …..I just want to give up.

Then I read things like Before You Give Up by Roger Fields. It helps me remember why I am in Children’s Ministry and what I went through as a child in a very adult world. So, right now I’m trying to stay focused, trying to stay in the game and to succeed for HIM. I’m working on a strategy to keep myself encouraged and knowing that, “I can do all things through God who strengthens me.”

I may be going through a rough time right now and feel like not finishing the big race because the situation seems unmanageable, unreasonable, or unfair. I may say at times “God, I can’t take it any more. I just can’t take it any more!” But I can. I can take it some more because God is with me. He’ll enable me. I am never a failure until I quit, because quitting means I won’t make it to the finish line. I have to try to resist discouragement and finish the race God has set before me.