Have you ever felt like giving up? I have. Often. Too much going on, too much to handle, too much to wrap your arms around. The inner struggle of these moments, when you’re going through it, feels interminable. Many of us desire escape, even if only for a few hours.
I would imagine that you, the reader, can in some fashion relate to this experience. No one leaves this life free of hardship, struggle, misunderstanding, change. Running away simply means you are momentarily blocking it out. Momentarily. It always returns, even if we choose not to face it. It’s ultimately still there as the struggle is within us.
Don’t give up.
It’s how you choose to respond to life’s inevitable challenges, challenges that are often allowed by the good Lord so that you can become more fully the person you are called to be. You can’t give up! Giving up means you don’t ever tap into the deep wellsprings of life that is the stuff of greatness. Giving up means you don’t ever tap into the joy we all desire and seek in this life.
The most joyful people I know are not those who are without struggle in life. On the contrary, they often have more than their fair share. But they don’t give up. The people with the most joyful disposition and outlook on life are the ones who have learned to embrace, yes, embrace ALL that comes their way. They might cry on occasion, but they don’t complain or seek an escape. They embrace ALL that comes their way because they are convicted in their knowledge and understanding of God’s loving providential care for them.
They move out from this space. They see all things as a touch of love from God and it fills them with joy. Genuine joy. I’m not speaking of an effervescent external “up”. I’m speaking of a deep-seated joy that emanates from their core, from within them. It’s a grounded joy.
Don’t give up. Every “yes” given to the Lord, your embrace of ALL that comes your way, every time you choose to stay in and commit to the struggles of life, every step in this direction moves you deeper into the recesses of your own soul where true peace and joy can be experienced. This foundation becomes a wellspring of joy that soon starts to overflow outwards. This is the joy that impacts the life of another just by its very presence. You can’t help but recognize that there is greatness here, that Jesus is alive and well and shining out of that person. They light up the room because they have this bright light within them. We saw it in people like Pope St. John Paul II, Mother Teresa, the saints. Our desire, our work, our hope is that we too may become the vessels God can use to spread His love and joy in this world of ours, to bring light into places of darkness.
Don’t give up.
The world needs you.
