Seriously! You should give up

I thought I heard someone say “Hey! Abraham, what do you mean? Winners never quit and quitters never win”

 

That’s right! I totally understand. I’m not here to erase the old principle you know.

It may be hard to admit, but I believe there are cases where you should give up. Loosen your mind a little and read what I have to write.

I want to tell you that it’s all right. We are allowed to give up sometimes. It has become conventional for people not to give up on their plans and it appears to me that everyone is putting on the ‘never give up’ attitude.

Hey friend! Giving up is not totally a bad thing.

Reasons why I gave up in the past

Believe me; I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been in some situations where giving up was the only solution. I will share with you three of them.

• I had Unrealistic goals
• And Purposeless goals.
• I was Anti-Christ (It’s not what you think).

I want to assume you now have an idea of what I’m driving at in this post.

Unrealistic Goal

It is very easy to dream but it’s hard to make it a reality. I have been there. I had Big dreams; bigger than those of Martin Luther king jnr :). It was only a matter of time before my dreams became nightmares.

I set goals for myself but they never worked out.
Then one day I found a book (Can’t remember the name) and I read that my goals won’t work out if they aren’t SMART (I thought I was the only one that should be smart)

• S- Specific
• M- Measurable
• A- Achievable
• R- Realistic
• T- Time Bound

If the goal you have set for yourself is not realistic, then you are not balanced.

You may be wondering “Ah! Abraham, but Christians work by faith and not by sight?”

You are still correct my friend. There is a form of ‘realism’ in our Christian faith and this is it.

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” James 2:17 (ESV)

Those were the words of James by the inspiration of God. The problem with my dreams at that period was that they were all in my head. I didn’t make any effort to work towards it.

So I learnt that Christian have to back up their goals with faith and then work in other to have a physical manifestation of what they already have.

If there is faith and no work, it’s 'Unrealistic.

Purposeless goal

This is the most dangerous because I wasted so much energy in me.

A quick Illustration- the Chase

A dog was sitting quietly in front of its owner garden. Suddenly, A car zoomed past the dog and it chased after the car.
The car was moving so fast but the silly cute little dog kept pursuing.

My Question- If the dog eventually meets the car, then what next? (Assuming the dog can catch up with the car).

What’s in it for the dog? I would say the dog was wasting it’s time.

After I got past the unrealistic goal level, I discovered from the beginning that I had no purpose for my plans.

Action without purpose is waste of energy.

I’m sure our silly cute little dog will be completely exhausted after running a few miles.

I learnt that a goal without a purpose is like a plane without a pilot; it’s heading for a crash.

For every goal, you should be able to answer the question; “why is this important to me?”

I was Anti-Christ

I’m not writing about the man that will rule the earth for three and a half years and will force people to take up the ‘666’ mark.

I’m still writing about my action.

“Who is the liar but who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist. He who denies the father and the son” – I John 2:22

There you have it, if your actions deny Jesus; you should give up on them.
There are two versions to this. The believer and the unbeliever version

The Unbeliever Version

During my last two years in high school, I became bad. I did bad things that my parents didn't know about even until now. I broke rules. I became wayward. I had a girlfriend and we were very intimate.

We did things that only Adult should do but we didn't make out. Up till today I still wonder why we never did it because we were very nasty.

One day, I was thinking in my room and I realized how much mess I’ve created. I knew I was not living the best life and deep down I wanted something different.

So I made the decision to give up on my bad behaviors.
I almost forgot! I also had addictions that were eating deep into my life.

I just knew that Jesus was calling me. No, I didn't hear a voice but I knew. So I gave my life to Jesus.

 I’m so happy about the decision I made years ago because it's really the best i have made or I'll ever make.

The Believer Version.

Let me be quick. If you still seek pleasure in sin, it's antichrist. Watch the keyword, 'seek pleasure'. If you love God, you will keep His commandment. I didn't say so, the Bible says so.

Final Words

I didn't give up to be a spectator but gave up on what seems so be so blurry in other to get a clearer picture.
I Gave up, went back to my drawing board to re-plan my life.
I went to God to make me a better person!

Lets Talk
What do you have to say about giving up? What do you have to say about my story? Do you have any advice for me? Feel free to comment below. Don't be selfish :P, share this with your friends.

Ps: If you want to donate to Philippines children who are victims of Typhoon Haiyan, click here.

Photo by: Toni Blay