08/27/2024
Do you ever just want to quit? Walk away? Be done with it all? Chuck it? Leave it all behind?
If you could see through a window into my soul, you might be surprised to discover how many times in the past I’ve counted out the years left before I can “hang up my spurs and saddle,” so to speak.
No, I’m not leaving my day job. Yes, I’m thrilled to serve in the capacity God has given me.
However, let’s be honest. Who hasn’t dreamed about winning the lottery, stepping down, and moving on to greener pastures? This happens in marriage. This happens with work. This even happens with the Christian faith.
The older I get, the more I realize the truth of Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (NIV). When I was younger, I always had a vision of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to accomplish. Now that I’ve tipped the scale past the midway point, I find myself looking in the rear-view mirror more than through the front windshield.
What do I need to do in those moments when life simply seems too hard to manage? Keep my eyes on the prize. Stay focused on the vision of where I’m headed.
D. A. Carson tells the story of Florence Chadwick who, in 1952, stepped off the beach at Catalina Island and into the water, determined to swim to the shore of mainland California. She was already an experienced long-distance swimmer: she was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly on the day she set out; she could scarcely see the boats that would accompany her. For fifteen hours she swam. She begged to be taken out, but her trainer urged persistence, telling her again and again that she could make it, that the shore was not far away. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she finally just stopped swimming, and she was pulled out. The boats made for the shore, and she discovered it was a mere half-mile away.
The next day she gave a news conference. What she said, in effect, was this: “I do not want to make excuses for myself. I am the one who asked to be pulled out. But I think that if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it” (A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 61-62).
Can you see the shore? The shore of a stronger faith? The shore of a healthy marriage? The shore of a life well lived? Sometimes the fog of life’s circumstances prevents us from seeing our destination. But this is where we pray to see with eyes of faith, believing that “the sun still shines, even when it’s hiding” (Winnie the Pooh).
I encourage you even now as you read these words: Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Keep swimming. The shore may be hidden from view but not from eyes of faith.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12, NIV).
Author's note: for more encouragement on this topic, I invite you to request a free copy of my ebook 'Hold Fast' where you'll witness human struggle, an imperfect pastor, and an honest assessment of disappointment mixed with hope. Let's learn together how to grow through these challenges of life, not just how to go through them. And most importantly, regardless of how isolated you may feel, you’ll discover you’re not alone. Request a free copy here.
