Don't Quit Today
Oh. Don't quiet quit either.
Please, don’t quit today.
You might be saying “Don’t worry, Eric. no problem! I haven’t set any goal and the ones I’ve thought about I haven’t even started.”
Well, the reason I encourage us not to quit is because January 10th is National Quitter’s day. You know, the average day that most people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions.
Oh and by the way don’t quiet quit either.
This term, “quiet quitting”, in the context of work, is putting in the minimum effort, time and enthusiasm into the required tasks that keep them in their jobs. They don’t actually quit their job, they are just bidding their time and collect their paychecks. I think we called it “senioritis” in high school. Remember that semester…or two? The light at the end of the tunnel called graduation grew bigger while your engagement and enthusiasm for school work grew smaller.
Simply put quiet quitting is a trendy word for the long term concept of job dissatisfaction.
Truth be told, some of us have been “quiet quitting” life in this manner for a while.
We can have dissatisfaction come into our lives like this too. We find our engagement and enthusiasm diminishing. We don’t set goals of improving our lives or even accomplish things that we enjoy or that may benefit us. The next thing we realize, we are coasting on our laurels, quietly quitting life.
Such faint-heartedness can be caused by a distrust in God, a discontentment in His provision, misdirected hopes or delays in what we felt life or the Lord owes (see Arthur Pink’s article titled Discouragement).
Such faint-heartedness can be a comfort to the gloomy, apathetic and tired. We enjoy being there. Yet, that comfort will cost us the true happiness God intends for us to enjoy in life. The joyous celebration that show God to be so good to us, that our hearts begin to burn with worship and affectionate emotions for him, with others around us.
God actually has something loving - hear that- loving to say to the faint-hearted and to those tempted to quit.
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. (Ephesians 6:10)
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9)
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Please notice the following ideas about these verses
First, the Lord is calling us to do something He has empowered us to do by leaning our dependence on His strength. Not ours. That means we are to admit our own weakness and put our faith in the Lord’s strength. The call to be strong in Christ is also a promise that through His Spirit he will provide the strength and courage.
Second, the Lord is saying being faithful and consistent in doing good has its reward. It is a sure reaping for what you are doing that is good, right and even godly. He is calling you to continue in it. That reward will be worth the sacrifice and efforts. So hang in their.
Third, God’s is actually addressing those who are wavering or tempted to give in or who are outright being negligent in showing up in the community of believers where they can initiate in living out there faith in love and good works.
So how do we respond to this?
Faithfully, with one foot in front of the other, move forward. Forward in prayer and in what God has called you to practice and work out when it comes to your life and faith in Christ.
Initiate a friendship that will love you where you are, but who you will invite and give permission to stir you and hold you accountable to not quietly quit or quit at all.
Read your Bible. Engage once again with your Bible. Encounter God once again in your listening to him through it.
Make time to pray for your heart to incline its attention to God first. A good request for yourself is Philippians 1:9 “that [my] love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” The now infamous IOUS from John Pipers ministry are also good to start request for God to do a work. Check them out here