His Encouragement – When you feel like giving up

Posted by abakersp in Thoughtful Thursday / 12 Comments

 

Sometimes you just want to give up. Whether it’s work, family, illness, or any other obstacle. You just don’t want to deal with it anymore, you get sick of it, and you forget to lean on the Lord. It happens to all of us (if we’re honest with ourselves). I had that experience this week. I’ve had trouble with my back for over ten years. About once or twice a year it goes out on me (either a disc comes out, or my sciatic nerve gets pinched). This time it was my nerve and it happened at the silliest time. I was at church trying to help get the CD player working. I only bent at about a 45 degree angle and that’s all it took. I felt the pinch, and needed help walking away from it. Usually I’m out of work for about 2 days in severe pain, and then it kind of mellows out and I can manage.

But this time was different. It’s been over a week and a half, and the pain hasn’t let up. In fact, some days it’s gotten worse, times a hundred. I’m going to be completely honest with you. Tuesday morning I was in tears as I tried to get out of bed, but couldn’t. The pain was too much. My husband was there to help me, thank the good Lord. I cried in his arms, the kind of crying where you can’t really talk and the tears are flowing so fast you can’t keep up with them. I told him I had enough. I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I had reached my breaking point. I didn’t want to go on. My husband wouldn’t have it of course. He told me I had to, and that I could do it. He reminded me that I was strong and capable, and the pain wouldn’t last forever. And in that moment, do you know what verse came to mind?

 

Philippians 4:13 entered my mind, and I felt ashamed. I had asked others to pray for me, but I didn’t pray for myself. Sounds silly, right? I have a hard time praying for myself, and don’t do it very often.I pray for others all the time, so why is it so hard to pray for myself? I think it’s because I feel selfish by doing so. But in this moment, as that verse came to mind, I knew what I had to do. The Holy Spirit reminded me that I really can do all things through Christ, BUT…..I have to ask. And so I did. Now, my pain did not go away, however I felt better about it. I had peace in my heart that everything would be ok. I didn’t need to give up, only needed to push ahead.

Friends, do you have something you’re struggling with this week? If you share I’ll pray for you. And just remember, you can do anything with Christ right there beside you. I hope you have a good week. Don’t forget to stop by the blogs below to get some more encouragement!

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

 

12 responses to “His Encouragement – When you feel like giving up

  1. I’ll pray for your this morning that your back gets better…and that the pain never comes back! Thanks for sharing your story to encourage others.

  2. Back in January, I fell down my stairs. I feel like an idiot admitting that, but I totally lost my step. I crushed my back on a stair and then slid down about 6 more steps. At first, nothing really was wrong…except a bruised ego. LOL! But over time, I started to be in serious pain. I went to a chiropractor two weeks ago. I had two slipped disks and my hip bone had crushed into my tailbone, which crushed my sciatic nerve. The chiropractor was able to fix the slipped discs and my hip, but the sciatic nerve is a goner. It’s probably going to take about a year for my sciatic nerve to heal to a point where I won’t hurt everyday.

    All this to say, I completely know how you feel. I would love to give up. I hurt almost 24/7. But, you are right. We can’t give up on ourselves. I need to start being a little more diligent in praying for myself. I have a long list of people I pray for, but I often forget myself.

    Excellent post today! I will definitely be praying you!!!

    • Jessica

      Oh my goodness praying for you Nicole! Chiropractors scare me…..did they really help you?

  3. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you hurt your back and have been in pain. I’ll be praying for you that it starts feeling better! You are correct, it is so easy to pray for others, and forget to pray for yourself. Not in a selfish way, but just sharing what’s on your heart beyond the concern you have for those around you. Sending you ((Hugs))

  4. Wow, sorry to hear you’re having such a tough time. My hubby had back surgery after suffering for nearly a month with terrible sciatic pain down his right leg. That was horrible to watch. I love your honesty and fresh Godly perspective. Thanks for sharing and I’ll be praying that your recover quickly and stay pain free! Blessings!

  5. Alexa Verde

    I’m so sorry you’re in pain. Praying for you! And what an inspiring post!