Sometimes pain makes you want to quit.
There are days when it would be so much easier to give in to the pain and accept the assumption that certain situations won’t get better. It might even seem “safer” to settle for low expectations and probable disappointment than to show appreciation for what lies directly in front of you and to expend the energy for hope and change.
Let me be real here. Sometimes, I need to take a moment in the middle of the craziness to pause and remember who I am and who God has called me to be — despite my pain. I need to anchor myself back to the truth of what God says about me and my life, regardless of what I see.
Here’s the truth. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). My salvation and the grace gifted to me through the blood of Jesus unlocks fellowship with God on earth and in eternity. My fellowship with God is a friendship that I can access now. I can access eternal life now — a life not founded on pain and sorrow but quite the opposite. A life that can be experienced differently, if I take a moment to pause and reflect on the goodness of the Father. Reflection and thankfulness allow me to see who I truly am and who He is over and over again, creating room for me to see more of Him.
I am my Father’s daughter. That means I have the right to live a life full of true delight in the assurance that HE is for me and that my life will be good because He is good.
He works everything for His glory. (Romans 8:28)
He never stops exclaiming His love over me. (Exodus 14:14)
He always fights for me. (Jeremiah 31:3)
He empowers me to believe who I truly am. (Ephesians 2:10)
But if I’m honest, sometimes I need reminders to help me rest and rehearse so that I won’t forget or doubt the reality of His love in my life.
Thankfulness is a tool; it helps me see beyond my problems to what is possible. It helps me choose to value my life through gratitude and allows me to honor, observe, and remember the unique beauty in my life through the grace of God.
What HE has given me is MORE than ENOUGH.
And GRATITUDE turns what I have into more than ENOUGH.
Let me show you what I mean…
When Jesus wanted to feed the multitude, He first gave thanks to the Father for what He had supplied before it could be multiplied. His gratitude made room for the Father to show His goodness and abundance, displaying a new aspect of God’s nature that they didn’t know before (John 6:1-14).
Even Jesus practiced thanksgiving.
If we aren’t intentional about cultivating celebration and gratefulness, sarcasm, disappointment, entitlement, and negativity will quickly sprout in its place. Lack of thankfulness suffocates hope. Without hope, we forfeit the mindset God intended for us and disregard the lifestyle Jesus modeled for us: one full of faith, thankfulness, and gratitude.
Don’t subject yourself only to the rhythm and routine of life and leave out the reward of living with a grateful heart for each and every step you take. When you choose to celebrate and be thankful, you shine a light on your small victories, which nurtures and sets the stage for more of the same.
So let’s take a moment each day to reflect. Notice the milestones, achievements, and what currently is. In doing so, you create room to experience the depths of God’s love. Take a moment to remember the goodness of God and what has already been given. Then simply transpose the same hope, joy, satisfaction, contentment from that memory and transfer it to your current situation. Doing so will help you recreate the same hope and joy that existed in the moment and transfer it to current situations.
Real talk? There have been many recent days where I have wanted to quit. It often feels easier to give up hope, expect the worst, and wallow in misery. Being “all in my feelings” feels bad and good all at the same time. Over the last few years, losing family members has been painful, being sick hasn’t been fun, and walking with my mother through her cancer journey has been ridiculously hard. So I’m sharing this reminder about gratitude for you and me. I’ve lived long enough to know that quitting doesn’t help anything in the long term. But over the long haul, the decision to be grateful can change an entire outcome and experience.
As often as you can, no matter how bad you think things are, give thanks. Find something — anything — to express gratitude for, and make it a point to look at your life and notice where God has been part of it. Spend more time thanking God for what He’s done instead of expressing frustration for what you’re still waiting on Him to do. Time spent being thankful for who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going will change your mindset and how you see everything. Spend time today, noticing what’s right in your life. As part of your reflection, thank God for who you are and the journey He has you on. The practice of thankfulness is a valuable weapon.
When you feel like you want to quit, you don’t have to be overwhelmed by discouragement. You have an option for living fully.
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Other Stuff to Check Out
- Check out my book, 28 Days of Prayer! Intentionally invest in your communication with God. Not ready to by the book? Take the free 5 Day Prayer Journey
- Read this related post: Resetting the Rhythms of Your Faith.
- Listen to the podcast!: Episode #235 with Susie Larson. We talked about what it means to fight for you life, especially when you feel disconnected from God and are in a dark place.
- Did you know that my father, Dr. Tony Evans, has a Bible Commentary available? Click here to check it out! If you want to know more about my father’s ministry and the multitude of resources he has available to help you in your walk with God, go to Tony Evans.org
- Want to read even more of the Bible? Check out 20 Ways to Read Through the Bible.
- Did you catch the latest video I uploaded to my YouTube channel? I shared a message I gave recently at my church on the The Sword (The Word of God). Watch it by clicking HERE.
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Thank you for sharing. It’s good to read your words again. I’m not faraway if you or your team needs any help this week.
Chrystal, THANK YOU for this. Oh, I needed this so badly this morning. The last few months have been so hard for me. I have felt so disappointed in myself and stuck. It seems like life is going on around me and I’m not moving. Today I choose to stop my pity party. I DO have so much to be thankful for!!! And typing that right there just makes me want to shout! Again, thank you Chrystal and I will continue to pray for you and your family.
I don’t comment often but I do read often! This is a really great reminder for me. Especially today. Thank you for always being transparent and real and sharing that with us.
Exactly same for me!
(Tend not to comment. But always appreciate the real talk. Life is very hard right now. Good post.)
Wow. Thank you for this post!
I NEEDED EVERY SINGLE WORD you spoke here. Thank you.
I needed this TODAY! Thank you, Chrystal, for writing from your heart.
Praying for you and your family.
Chrystal, I appreciate your realness. I am one of those women who can become stiff from life’s grim circumstances. I have learned, as you have that gratefulness gives me momentum. Know that we are praying for you and your family during this bittersweet season. More importantly, Emmanuel, God with us near.
Life is hard. It’s particularly difficult to manuver through a “this only happens to other people” situation” the first time we are hammered with seemingly impossible situations or horrendous grief. It was a terrrible realization for me 7 years ago when I lost my two sons, that WE ARE the other people. I still grapple with the “WHY ME” I have to remind myself daily it’s really “why NOT me, and be thankful for the Lords many blessings. I have to make a conscious choice every morning to find blessings I’m grateful for if I don’t do this , my life begins to fall apart and I feel further from God, and have a really bad day to boot!
This is so good. Very helpful for me. Thank you.
Hi Chrystal!
First let me say that you and your family have my deepest sympathy for the loss of your mom! I cannot begin to think how I would feel if I lost my mom but pray that you are so very grateful for the time/years that you had with your mom! Cherish each and every moment just as if she were still here with you!
I just want to say that I’m truly missing your podcasts and felt that you should know that you are truly an inspiration to me through your voice and just the guest that you are constantly interviewing! Keep doing what you are doing because WE need you and truly this is what GOD want you to do because you do it so well!!
Wishing many blessings upon you each and every day!!
Sincerely,
Van (yes I’m a SHE smile) A new follower on your blog
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think it touched home for me. I always feel like I want to quit because in the back of my mind I feel I will not have what it takes or be good enough. Insufficient . An attitude of gratitude can make a big difference. I struggle with embracing my weakness, especially when I feel as though am the only one with that particular weakness. It’s a spirit of fear that lurks around me and sometimes paralyzes me from taking a leap of faith. Alway feeling afraid of the unknown, or not knowing what to do. I think that is probably my worst nightmare. Not knowing. Thank you so much again for sharing this. Uplifted my soul. xoxo
May God surround you in love.
Proof once again that Almighty God has blessed you and your entire family to be a blessing to so many others. Praying that the Lord will continue to shower you with His love and peace as you press forward in His name.