Giving Up Isn't An Option

"So 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 (CSB)

This. This verse. Where do I begin? Over 8 years ago Brian and I moved to Alabama so he could serve in his first full time staff position. At the time I truly believed it was for him to serve, and him alone...God sure does have a sense of humor. In those early years of our marriage and his (which at times morphed into our and even my) ministry I came across this verse. Now I can't tell you what I was going through at the time or what study I was in when I came across it but I can tell you that it stuck.

When I read it I realized....THIS, this is ministry. It is a whole lot of pouring and pouring, planting and watering, praying and leading with the hope that there will be a harvest. I am a firm believer that God's Word doesn't return void, that His Word serves the purpose it is meant to serve and how it is meant to serve even if it doesn't match up to my ideas. But when you are in the thick of it, when you are exhausted spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, when you feel like you don't have an ounce left to pour out, and when you are desperate to be poured into this verse means everything.

I know I am not the best minister's wife. I know I am not a Biblical scholar. I know I don't have all the answers. But I also know God has called me to serve, love, and pour out all that He has given me. I am certain there are hundreds if not thousands of other women who are more well spoken. I am certain they are more put together. I am certain they are way more qualified than myself. But I am also certain that it is not me, my qualifications, or my words that are fueling my life, my ministry, my relationships. I am at the will of God and my love for Him and His are the only things I have to offer and they also happen to be the things that matter the most.

I'm sure by now you are wondering what on earth I am rambling on about, if not I know I am. But here it is. Serving is hard. It is scary. It puts you in a place where you feel vulnerable. It can leave you feeling lost and lonely. It can make you question things. It can build relationships and it can make them seem shaky. But no matter what don't give up. Don't get so tired of doing good that you stop. I don't care how tired you are, how little an impact you are making, if you don't think you have all the answers, or how hurt you may feel. None of that matters. Rest in Christ, know you are making impacts big and small for Him by Him, you will never have all the answers but keep seeking, and hurt people hurt people but loved people love people.

Throughout the years I have felt every bit of hard I can imagine (and I'm sure I will feel even more as time goes on) of in ministering to others and there have been times I wanted to give up. But this verse would always come back to mind. And can I tell you I am so glad I never gave up because I have been blessed through the hard work. I have been refined by God in ways I never knew possible and I have witnessed that harvest being reaped sometimes first hand and others through stories I hear. And although every bit of that glory goes to God I know that I was blessed to be a part of that story even if just for a moment.

So whether you serve in a ministry position, teach a lifegroup, have kids, have coworkers, pretty much if you are a follower of Christ Jesus I am here to tell you "Don't give up".