Why Do We Stop?

Why do we stop? Stop what? Stop anything … fighting, running, working, praying, loving – why do we stop doing that?

I believe we stop when we’re finished. We stop when we’re tired. When we’ve achieved, when we’ve failed, when others stop watching or stop caring – we stop when there is no longer a reason to not stop.  

I believe the Lord has given me great faith, but sometimes I feel as if my perseverance does more harm than good. There have been many occasions where I’ve wanted to stop: stop loving that person who who didn’t love me; stop fighting for causes that seem to be lost; stop believing for something after years of praying and nothing to show for it. Most recently I’ve wanted to stop caring – yep, that’s right, I wanted to just stop caring about things. Anything. Everything. All the things.

Caring sucks sometimes. It’s easier to not care, but something inside of me just won’t let me stop.

I work for a missions organization in Gainesville, GA – it’s literally my job to care for people all over the world. I sat with some of my mentees at work this week and shared with them that I was tired of caring for other people, other people’s problems, other people’s worries, & other people’s circumstances. I admitted, in a moment of weakness and vulnerability, that I wished I could go back to the time when I wasn’t in leadership – a time when people didn’t look up to me, didn’t expect anything from me, didn’t come to me for encouragement and prayer. But even as I was speaking, I realized that the things that make me tired and want to give up are the very same things that drive me to keep fighting, running, working, praying, caring, loving, moving, going, believing.

As I spoke, one of my mentees went to a quote from The Lord of the Rings to encourage me:

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Because of this blessed faith that I’ve been given, something inside constantly reminds me that the reasons to not stop are far greater than the reasons to stop. The main reason being that my enemy is not stopping. On the contrary, he is moving straight ahead at full force, claiming territory and ruining lives left and right.

I watched an excerpt of a 20/20 interview with Bruce Jenner this morning, and boy did it hurt my heart! It hurts me to hear and see people who are utterly blind and lost. There are some people who are so confused that they are willing to fight, just as hard as I am, for a losing team! If you read the bible and if you know the Lord, you know that the results have already been determined: God wins. Satan loses. Case closed. But there are people who are willing to put their life on the line to, unknowingly, fight a losing fight. Why is it? Because they are presented with a reason to not stop! The reason is a lie and full of deception, but it’s a reason nonetheless.

So let me present to you a reason to not stop. A reason to fight for something good. A reason to play for the winning team.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

We are entering a day and a time when everyday seems more evil than the last. It’s sad and depressing, for sure, but it’s also evidence that we are not finished. There are billions of people in this broken world who are living like sheep without a shepherd. It’s our job to care for them, to have compassion, to show them who Jesus is. It’s our job to not stop, and as long as there are people who are hurt, lost, and hopeless, they are the reason why.

Your Limp is a Sign of Strength

Today’s my day

You’ve changed my name

I might limp away

But I’ll never be the same

Life can be such a struggle sometimes. We all have to wrestle through things and sometimes we are left with permanent signs of the struggle – a scar, a bruise, a limp. You can look at your marks of struggle and choose to remember the difficult time you had, or you can look at it and choose to remember the victories under your belt.

Jacob wrestled with God for hours, and as a result, his hip came out of socket and he was left with a permanent limp. However, he was also left with a permanent name change, Israel – a name that represents a chosen & mighty nation, a name that represents a turn in history, forever. Jacob limped away from his wrestling match; he, just like the nation of Israel, struggled with God and with man and he prevailed. His limp is a sign of his strength, not his struggle.

As children of God, we all have something to wrestle through. Whether you’re currently in the middle of struggle or limping into your post-struggle season, I encourage you to reflect on the ways that God is changing you. He uses our struggles to transform our hearts and reveal our true identities, but only if we allow Him. Make the decision today to view your bumps and bruises as signs of strength, God’s strength; and make the decision today to never be the same.