Bear Crawls and Shipwrecks

Suggested Reading: Galatians 6:1-10

In the film Facing the Giants, Coach Grant Taylor tries to turn a losing football team at a private Christian school into a winning football team by teaching them the principle of giving God glory in every aspect of their lives. One of the leaders on his team is a young defensive player named Brock. Brock's biggest failing is that he always wants to quit when he gets tired. In order to teach Brock a little bit about perception, he has Brock do bear crawls, blindfolded,  with a teammate on his back. Coach Taylor tells Brock that he wants him to go 20 yards, but since Brock cannot see how far he has gone, Taylor pushes him the entire length of the football field. This lesson about enduring when you are tired serves Brock well when, in the climactic game, a very tired Brock manages to hold the defense together for one last stop, giving his team a chance to win.

At times, trying to live a good life can make you feel like Brock. You've given everything you have to give, you've worn yourself out serving God and helping people, and you just don't think you can go any farther. You're tired. You want to quit, to throw in the towel, declare that you are done trying to do the right thing all the time, trying to serve, trying to give. You're just done. Maybe, after a break, you can start up again. Maybe when you've had a chance to recover your strength you can go back for more. You just need a chance to stop, to not worry about doing the right thing or being the right person or serving.

Now, I'm not talking about general exhaustion here. I'm not talking about the kind of exhaustion where you haven't gotten enough sleep and you've worked extra hours and you are physically drained. I'm talking about spiritual exhaustion, the kind where you have given everything of yourself that you have to give and there is nothing left. Your emotions are spent, you have no more compassion left in the reservoir, no more patience left for people who mistreat you and take advantage of you, no more cheeks you can turn, no more self-control you can exert. You're ready to quit doing good. You can't do it anymore. You don't have the energy and it's not worth it anyway. That kind of spiritual exhaustion.

If you have ever been in that spot, like I have been, Paul has something to say. "We must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up" (Galatians 6:9, HCSB).  "Sure, Paul, that's easier said than done," I can hear someone responding right now. "Do you know how long I've been doing this? Do you know how much I've given?" But if you know what Paul went through for the cause of Christ, then you know Paul is giving us more than empty platitudes. Paul describes his own experiences like this:  

Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing (2 Corinthians 11:25-27, HCSB).

Paul isn't telling us to pretend we don't get frustrated or weary. He isn't telling us that we have to put on a brave face and lie about how we feel. He is simply saying, "Don't give up." Put one foot in front of the other. Keep pushing forward. Keep giving and working, even when it doesn't look like it's paying off because "we will reap at the proper time, if we don't give up." We never know when it will happen. We never know what it will look like. But if we hang in there and keep living this life, it will be worth it. Don't give up. 

When Should You Throw In the Towel?

Suggested Reading: Hebrews 10:19-39

When I was working on my Master's Degree, about two years into my four year program, I got really tired of school. I had already spent five years working on my undergrad and was now working on another degree at the same school with the same professors. Some of the work was getting tedious. Some of the professors were driving me crazy. I was working full time and supporting a wife and two children so all of my studying got done between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am. I was tired. I was worn out. I was sick of dealing with school and felt the very real temptation to quit. I had other things to spend my energy on. But when I actually considered quitting, I was immediately struck by the amount of time and money I would have wasted. Then I started thinking about the effort that would have been flushed down the drain and the time I had spent putting up with all of the hassles that come with school. I eventually came to the conclusion that quitting school would be the equivalent of throwing away all of that time, effort and money and I couldn't do it.

However difficult working on my Master's Degree may have been, living an authentic, Christ-centered Christian life can be even more demanding. Jesus tried to prepare us for that when he counseled his listeners to count the cost before following him. He knew that doing the right thing, when few others were doing so themselves, would, at times, be frustrating. Jesus knew that following his example would lead to rejection and persecution. He knew that following the call of God would sometimes lead us down a less financially beneficial path than we might otherwise have chosen. We could continue through scripture and read about Paul when he complained that the apostles were considered the "refuse of the earth" compared to everyone else. Scripture tries to prepare us for a hard life as followers of Christ.

But however much we think we are prepared, when we find ourselves in the midst of those difficult circumstances, faced with troubles and problems we might not ever have faced without following Christ, the temptation to quit, to throw in the towel and walk away, can always surface. When those times come, when the road is tough and we consider how much easier it might be to just give up, consider these words from the book of Hebrews: "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised" (Hebrews 10:36, NLT).

When the tough times come and you are tempted to quit, remember what you have endured. Refuse to throw away your time, your effort, and your trust in God. Choose to push through. Finish your course. You may have to endure some difficult paths now, but you will be rewarded for your patient endurance.