Friends, don’t give up on Jesus, remember that He faced incredible odds for us, and didn’t give up. Love isn’t about what we feel, it’s about being in touch with Jesus Christ. If you run out of love for the other person, do what I have done and ask Jesus for extra love. He is the source of love, and He has loved us with an everlasting love. He also promises to finish the good work that He began in us and to complete that good work. I have had many times where I feel like throwing in the towel, but is that a reason to give up on my mate???? Certainly not…. just because it’s a rough marriage, does not mean that it is hopeless. You know, in the Bible Jesus compares being with us to a marriage, yet we divorced Him! We had that same attitude…. “This race isn’t worth it”, and we fell into sin. What was the result…. DEATH…… and not just any kind of death, it was ETERNAL NONEXISTANCE…. Forever nothing. Yet, Jesus came to this earth for you and I, and even when we did not love Him, He died for us:) I am encouraged by that message. You don’t have to give up on a marriage that is just “too hard” to deal with…. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Where is your faith… is it in yourself…. if this be the case then you can be sure that you will indeed end up throwing in the towel…. yet the race isn’t for our glory, it is for God’s glory. When I said “I do” to my wife, I made a covenant with God, and with His help I intend to keep it… “No matter how hard life may get” Because I am choosing to walk by faith! Faith that “He is faithful who has promised” That’s how I am able to get up every morning, and keep going No matter how tough it gets, and I must say, that the race truly is worth it, because I love my wife, very dearly. I know that our love has a lot of growth to go through, but I also know that that is what life is all about. I was once in a pastor’s office and he told my wife and I that God was not so much concerned about our comfort in this life, but was more concerned about our character. I believe that Marriage is a little different than not being able to play some silly instrument… or having or not having a talent in some area. It is about Love, and that was always Jesus and heaven’s business business. Loving the “unloveable!” If you don’t believe me, check it out in Matthew Mark Luke and John. My message to those who are thinking about throwing in the towel is this: “Don’t give up!” Remember that Jesus is running beside you always and that He loves you, go to Him for help and strength!

(I am not talking here about being a situation where your husband or wife could physically harm or hurt you, or is sexually abusive to you, for that I believe you should get a seperation, and give the person time to see the wrong of their ways or go to counseling TOGETHER! , but if it is just something like “we aren’t compatable” I don’t think that is a reason to give up. Sure it sometimes seems like that is misery, but our focus isn’t supposed to be just on the love that we get from other humans, but the love that we get from our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. “

I quit violin, it stopped speaking to me the way it once did. I quit trying to color my art, as I only drew in pencil for the longest time. “Color eludes me,” I used to think, so I stopped torturing myself with trying to please others with their suggestions. Now, years later, I LOVE color! I paint, use colored pencils, pastels, etc. AND I am good at it! Things happen in life at the right time, don’t feel bad about giving up, it may come to you later And if it never does, it wasn’t meant to be. Regrets are not allowed! Just move on to something else that WOWS you and keeps you interested. I formed this non-profit club that grew to 30+ members and was the President for years. It was my group, that I did, all by myself. BUT it stressed me out to the point I was screaming at my kids constantly and my bp went up. So, I quit! It was exhilarating! To walk away from something I made and put so much work into….the best feeling you could imagine! I felt free and able to do whatever I wanted. I tell you, sometimes quitting the best thing you can do!

Thank you again for writing this, I am glad to see others feel the same way as I do!

A couple things that might help:

* Make a list of other hard things you’ve accomplished. Look at it whenever you think you don’t have the guts. For me, I think about the marathon I finished, even though I threw up at mile 20 and had blisters so bad that the blood oozed through my shoes. If I could do that, I can do anything. You have something in your past that you endured. Use that memory to remind yourself of your inner strength.

* Make a “feel good” folder. In this folder, store every positive comment someone makes about your photography. Keep a list of every great milestone. Look at this folder whenever you think you can’t do it.

* Do one thing every day that gets you closer to your goal, and do it first. Give yourself a reward, one that you can only have once you do your hard thing. For me, I’m not allowed out of my desk chair until I do my hard thing. Then I can take the dog for a while (something I enjoy).

Geeze that was a long intro into what I really wanted to say. I found my love, my passion, my everything several years ago. It has saved me from myself so many times I can not count. That is photography. If you wish to check out some of my work (I have 1000 of pics I have yet to work on) http://www.flickr.com/amysimages

I am currently in the process of applying for photography school and I am scared to death. Out of all of my work, most of which I still have to go through, I must choose only 20 images that represent my style. That is not the most scary part, since I am on disability they have programs for retraining, but since I have a diploma and a degree in business I have a huge fight against me, since they consider me ‘trained’. However, it is the education that helped me get to where I am today. I bounced from job to job, never happy (I did not know of my love for photography then), until one day I was a tax collector (OUCH)! I always said I would do anything for money, and this was an amazing paying job, I tried for 2 months, but I am just not that kind of person. Every morning before work I would cry like a baby in the shower, so scared this would be the day I would meet ‘me’ on the phone. That person who had tons of collection agencies calling them and seriously considered suicide as an option out. I did not want to be that person to cause someone to kill themselves (we had it happen there while I was working, which made it even more real, someone called this person, and they were later found dead with all of their bills around them. That could have been me. One monday (after 8 weeks of ‘working’ there) I was called to the office and told I had a week to improve or I would be let go, needless to say I told them where to go and how to get there pretty darn fast, then I had my breakdown in front of them and ended up in the hospital. I learned a lesson, something so new to me it was unreal, I would not do anything for money! Who was I… this new person freaked me out.

Now I am miss artsy fartsy who found their love in life, but is so scared to face the fight I have before me to make my dream come true. I am like a child who can not stand up for themselves and demand what they want out of life. I lost the fighter in me, I know she is still in there, masked by medication, fear, rejection. If this does not work out, if I can not get the funding for school (first being accepted) I have no other option in life, at least that is how I am feeling now.

I don`t know if you have ever written about overcoming these kind of fears, and standing up for you, even when all of your being is so scared that instead of facing the fear, it is easier to avoid it. It is not really easier, I have not been sleeping well in weeks, basically feeling like a zombie just going through the motions of waking up, eating, sleeping… I think I have turned into my cat honestly.

My apologies for such a long post, but this really struck something in me, maybe it was the fat kid… I am the fat kid who needs that push right now and I can`t seem to find it, although I do not want to loose my dream, I am afraid my self-destrutive ways will make me do so.

sincerely,

Amy

Maybe you would like to apply as a contributor?

I quit my second round of college, not because it wasn’t a race worth winning, but because i had faced too many obstacles to finish successfully.

I survived the 2 year journalism degree, just not the 4 year pre-psychology degree.

A lot of people have labeled me as a quitter, I believe that sometimes we don’t know if something is worth attaining if we don’t start the race in the first place. Once you try it, then decide if its for you.

Writing was my shadow too.

There have been several times this past year when I thought about quitting blogging and my site, but each time I realized I’d be more miserable wondering “what if” than I was putting in the work, so I stuck with it.

Thanks for a great and thought provoking post!