Don’t Give Up

Posted on June 23, 2023 by

25 Comments

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though He may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Psalm 37:23-24

My husband and I have two favorite college baseball teams. One is my alma mater. The other is located in the town where my husband was born, and they are close to where we live now. Currently we are in the midst of the College World Series. The eight best teams in the country go to the World Series. My alma mater didn’t make it, but our other team did.

We were watching our team play in the opening round on television last weekend. (The event is always held in Omaha, Nebraska. Not close enough for us to attend. But it is on our bucket list.)

As you can imagine, every game in the World Series is important. Two losses and you go home. This goes on until only two teams remain. And then those two teams play for the championship.

In this particular game our team was the first to score, but they only got one run at the time. The score remained 1-0 for several innings. Then in the top of the seventh the opponent scored four runs. It doesn’t take long for the tide to turn. Suddenly we were losing 4-1.

In the bottom of the same inning, we got one run. We were still losing. 4-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, we got another run. But again still losing. 4-3.

One more inning to go. The opponent got another run in the top of the ninth. Score 5-3.

We only had the bottom of the ninth to make something happen. Some people we know had turned the television off at this point. They had given up hope. It seemed improbable that our team would be able to win.

My husband and I weren’t some of those that turned the television off. We continued watching. You might guess what happened. Our team scored three runs and won the game 6-5. (And a bonus – the team we beat is the same team that put my alma mater out of the running two weeks prior.)

This game reminded me how important it is to not give up. For the people that turned the television off early, they had lost hope. They had given up. They went to bed defeated.

But for those of us who stuck it out, we were rewarded with a spectacular victory.

There are many situations in life that can leave us feeling discouraged and defeated. When our plans don’t go the way we wanted or when we are hit with an unexpected trial, it knocks the wind out of us. And as Christians, we have an enemy who is eager to bring us down.

Sometimes it will appear as though we are losing the game, and we will be tempted to give up. But there is always hope. And when we stay close to the Lord, we can take comfort knowing He is molding us through this difficulty. We will walk away stronger in our Christian walk.

God teaches you humility, keeps you dependent upon Him, shows you how to follow Him and protects you from pride through trials. The good news is that dark moments of your life will last only so long as is necessary for the Lord to accomplish His purpose. If you’re obediently committed to Him, your relationship with Him will grow more than you ever believed possible. Therefore, whenever you experience a trial, thank God for what He is doing and commit yourself to honoring Him in all things.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Everything in our lives should be approached with prayer and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So there will be times when God asks us to lay something aside. But there are also times when the enemy tries to defeat us and get us off track, especially if we are working for the Kingdom of God. That is why it is important to stay close the Shepherd and listen for His voice. We want to make sure we are on the path He wants us on.

And if we know we are in the right place, we keep pressing forward. I know we might feel tired at times. We don’t think we have the strength to make it any further. But remember that God hasn’t abandoned you. God is with you. He has the strength that you lack. He will see you through.

The Lord does not want to destroy you – He wants to make you stronger. But He can only do that by showing you the frailty of your strength and earthly comforts so you will depend on His.

Dr. Charles Stanley

This baseball game also reminded me of how God never gives up on us. Do you remember the parables found in Luke 15 – the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son? These stories remind us that our Lord loves us so much, and He will do whatever is necessary to rescue us and bring us back to safety.

If any of His children is far from home, He wants nothing more than to bring that child back home. If we have strayed, His goal is to lead us back on the right path.

It doesn’t matter how far we’ve gone or what we have done. He welcomes us back with open arms.

And even if we are walking close to God, we each make mistakes. We stumble at times, we might say the wrong thing, we might react poorly to circumstances, or we might struggle to let go of an undesirable habit. Whatever the case may be – God doesn’t give up on us.

God never gives up on us. Our sins may drive us farther and farther away from Him—but even then, He still loves us and yearns for us to repent and turn to Him for the forgiveness and help we need. The Bible says, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).

Billy Graham

Let’s praise God for His unfailing love and faithfulness in our lives!

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed weekend.

Both photos above were taken on Monday, June 19, 2023, just 10 minutes apart. I stood on the back porch watching the sky change, moment by moment. Nothing compares to God’s artwork. 🙌🤍🙏

© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas

Category: Seeking GodTags: , , , ,

25 Comments on “Don’t Give Up”

  1. Bridget, what a wonderful reminder to not give up. God is always working to build us up and transform us and often it is through some sort of trial that he accomplishes what he intended as we can be quite hardheaded in our surrender of him.
    This was a good reminder for me today. Hubby is having some challenges at work and your word to not give up and depend on him is right on point and in time for me to read.
    Thank you my friend. God bless you 💙💐🙏🏽

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    • Your point about “we can be quite hardheaded in our surrender of him” made me laugh. It’s so true though. I’m sorry your husband has been having challenges at work. I will be praying. But I’m glad this post came at just the right time. God knew it would. Thank you! God bless you too, my friend! 🤍

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  3. If we grasp the full meaning of Romans 8:28- God causes all things to work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes- then we will realize all things includes what we perceive as out setbacks.

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    • So true! Thank you for the reminder. I need to remember that. I need to do a better job of trusting God with each moment. What an amazing and loving Father we have. He doesn’t miss a thing. Thank you for stopping by and sharing encouragement. I hope you have a blessed weekend 🤗

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  4. Bridget, What a great post! God is always there waiting for us. In the mundane and even in the challenges.

    This sounds like the Florida Gators. They are doing awesome. We are Gator fans. My hubby had given up and went to bed. But, my son & I continued watching. It was a great game.

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    • You said that so well. Yes God is always there. And I am so thankful for that… You are right. I was talking about the Gators. I’m excited to know you and your family are Gator fans too! The games have been such nail-biters! And they are playing for the championship this weekend! 💙⚾️🧡

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      • It was quite a game. Yes, we had a big event at church but because our tech guy is a huge Gator fan he had it on the big screen. We didn’t know they were going to do that. What a surprise! My son was streaming the game on his phone for the 5 minute ride to church and until we got inside. Well, really for most of the game because they had the sound turned down. Then, they opened up the sanctuary because we had a bad storm. So, we got sound and saw it. My hubby had already given up when it was 3-3. He figured it would be like Friday. What a great surprise. I told my son Friday night was just practice. Now, if they can just hold on for the big game tonight. And, play like they did Saturday & not Friday. Oh, we now live in Athens, Ga. Of course, everyone here are big UGA fans. My son proudly wore his Gator hat & shirt. Go Gators!❤️

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      • So glad you got to see a lot of it! That’s so cool that they played it on the big screen at church. You know, I can’t blame your husband. The game did start off not-so-good, and the umpire made some bad calls. It’s hard enough trying to beat a team, but they have to beat the umpires too. I’m glad it turned around. And it shows they have it in them to do well. Oh yes I am sure you are surrounded by GA fans. Good for your son – wearing his Gator hat and shirt! 😁

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  5. Great analogy Bridget. In baseball things can change quickly. Your post encourages us to remember it is the same with God, things can change quickly, when we least expect it so we should not give up. We must keep trusting Him. He knows the final outcome.

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    • So true, Dawn. And even though we are caught off guard, it helps to remember that nothing is a surprise to God. As you said, we must keep trusting Him. I love that because every time the word trust comes up, I am reminded how much He truly wants us to trust Him. I’m so thankful that He is always looking out for us. What a loving Father we have! Thank you, Dawn. I hope you have a lovely weekend. 🤍

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    • Hello to my dear mother and father. Yes, the sky really was even more beautiful to see in person. We have a lot of pretty sunsets here. Although lately we’ve had many days with thunder storms. So sometimes it’s too cloudy to get a good picture. But I enjoy the ones I can. Love you lots. {} ♥️🤗

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  7. Amen! As Yoga Berra famously said, “It ain’t over til it’s over.” I echo what Matt said about Romans 8:28. What we see as a step back can be a step forward with God. His richest blessings to you, Bridget.

    On a baseball note, I attended the game when Nolan Ryan pitched his sixth no-hitter, but left early because I needed to go study. I’m still kicking myself over that one!

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    • “What we see as a step back can be a step forward with God.” – I love that. I have found in recent months I need to remind myself of these truths daily. So thank you for that. 🤗 Nice job using a Yogi Berra quote, especially since I referenced baseball in this post. And about the Nolan Ryan no-hitter – Wow! That’s still amazing that you were there for part of the game. ⚾️ Thank you for sharing that, David. God’s blessings to you too! 🙏

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      • I remember it like yesterday, Bridget. My friend and I left the Rangers game after the 6th inning. We knew Ryan was pitching really well, but had no idea it would be a no hitter.

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      • I had to share your story with my husband. He loved hearing about it. He said, “With Nolan Ryan there was always a chance it would be a no-hitter.” Thanks for brightening our weekend with a baseball story. 😁

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