When You Feel Like Quitting

Some years ago, back when there was such a thing as a local, hard-copy newspaper, two death notices ran back to back in the obituaries. The curious thing about these particular notices was that they both had the same last name. A 77-year-old man and his wife of the same age. They had died on the same day, so one might assume they had been killed in a traffic accident. They had not. Another section in the same paper told the rest of the story.

The husband suffered from acute leukemia, his wife from debilitating arthritis. Both died from single gunshot wounds, one self-inflicted. They had laid out the suit and dress in which they wanted to be buried and a note explaining the action they had taken.

The first word that comes to mind when I remember that story is the word weary. Other words fit, too; tired, worn out, fatigued, hopeless. They had lost their heart for living. Their spirits were as beaten as their bodies. They had given up hope. And in those moments between decision and action, I suspect they felt a galactic loneliness.

The thing is, I don’t think they were alone at all. I think there are very many weary, worn out people.

Some of us are tired of trying to overcome the obstacles between where we are and where we thought we’d be at this point in our lives. We surrounded ourselves with positive thoughts, filled our minds with inspiring stories, pumped up our attitudes with motivational messages and set out to accomplish the awesome. But somewhere along the way we hit a wall. Now we sit in the dust of dreams not just deferred, but shattered.

Some of us have been worn down by struggling relationships. Home is supposed to be a shelter in the time of storm, a refuge, a time and place of rest. But for some of us, coming home from the frying pan of a tough job means jumping into the fire of a tense home environment.

Others of us feel the fatigue of failing health. And it’s not just the physical aspects of sickness – it’s the spiritual and emotional exhaustion. Chronic illness makes us question our relationship with God. Does He care? Is He angry? Does He even notice? Persistent health problems put a strain on our families, too. We’re tired of hurting, tired of being needy, tired of pretending we’re okay when we’re not and tired of not being okay.

Name your burden. For every person there is a pressure, a pain, a problem that drains our energy for life and for God and makes us feel like quitting. So I thought it might be good if you and I heard some familiar words again – words written to people who themselves were in the dog days of their faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful people, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3).

The witnesses to whom he refers are those people he mentioned in chapter 11 – that long list of some of the greatest heroes and heroines of the faith. Whatever you and I have seen, felt or suffered, they did, too. That’s why he calls them witnesses. They can testify both to how awful life can sometimes be and to God’s faithfulness.

Go back and read about 75-year-old Abraham and barren Sarah hanging on to a thread-thin promise. Or Moses, the man without a country. Ask Jacob and Esau about family dysfunction. Rahab has something to say to those of us who drag around a load of guilt for a past we regret. And though Job isn’t mentioned in this list of fellow sufferers, he knows something about chronic pain, searing loss and struggling with God.

I’m not telling you that your troubles don’t touch the hem of their garments. Your pain is real and no one experiences it like you do. Besides, telling a person to buck up because there’s always someone who’s got it worse is just mean. But it’s good to remember that we are not the first to feel hurt and hardship. And even better to know that the presence of struggle does not mean the absence of God.

But the most compelling testimony comes from Jesus. He is not only the champion and truest illustration of a well-lived life; he is the only source of power and strength that can breathe life into a weary faith. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, remembering how he bore the shame and pain of the cross, we see the unrelenting love of God. On the cross, Jesus was forsaken by God so that you and I would not be. God is not indifferent to your pain. He has not forgotten. You are not alone.