Some Days I want to Quit!
Recently, on a Sunday morning, I woke up feeling like I wanted to quit. Perhaps you have experienced the same thing. Maybe it’s not Sunday for you, maybe it was Monday, or Friday, but I bet you’ve had one of those mornings. As a pastor, mine comes frequently on Sundays…
The point is, as a leader, I bet you’ve woke up wanting to quit recently.
Why? Because that is just human nature. Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble. But he also gave us a promise, that he has overcome the world.
What do we do when we feel this way?
4 Thoughts:
1. Have someone to turn to when the feeling hits.
For me, I am thankful to get to do life with a group of guys. We have a group texting system that instantly texts everybody at the same time. We can all see each other’s text, and respond to each other immediately. The app is called GroupMe.
When I woke up feeling down, I was able to immediately text my brothers and instantly begin to get encouragement. This is powerful for a couple of reasons. First, they could encourage me because they do what I do.
Second, there is power when you bring anything in the dark into the light. Discouragement loves to live in the dark. And it grows there as well. Exposing it to the light always makes it diminish.
2. Recognize the greater “why” behind what you are feeling.
For me, on this particular Sunday, I was able to recognize that I was in desperate need of a vacation. Thankfully, I was leaving on one the following week. Being able to recognize why you were feeling the way you were feeling is paramount to moving beyond your discouragement.
3. Start encouraging someone else.
One of the greatest and most underutilized ways of breaking out of discouragement is encouraging somebody else. We need each other. And if you are feeling discouraged, there is a better than good chance that someone else is as well.
One of the quickest ways to break a discouragement spell is to encourage somebody else. Find three or four people that you can text, call, email, reach out to, leave a voicemail for, to just tell them you love them, believe in them, and are behind them. Trust me your discouragement will begin to lift immediately.
4. Don’t just sit there, go do something.
When discouragement hits, one of the best things we can do is get up, get moving, and begin to function. Now, this runs counter intuitively to what we want to do.
But the good news is we are not bound by our flesh, we are led by the Spirit. So get up, put on some shoes, go for a walk, and get moving. Trust me, it will help.
Disclaimer: We all struggle with discouragement from time to time. However, I recognize and want to state plainly that if you deal with discouragement and depression on a consistent, regular basis, you need to seek professional and medical help. There is no shame in seeing a counselor, there is no shame in seeing a doctor. God has given us those gifts for us to use to get better.
Who do you need to encourage today? Do it right now. That’s always a minute well spent.