Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Out of Breath

When do you quit?

When do you throw in the towel and say,"I've had it. I can't do anything else. I'm done. It's over. I'm history."

My husband has an old tablet from his former company that says, "Failure is not an option." The company is now almost bankrupt.

How do you know when it's time to stop what you're doing? To stop going through the motions?
Of course, there are always those clear-cut situations that demand you stop for your own safety.

But what about those others--and the times when you want to quit but you don't know what to do next then?

Think about your writing. How many rejections do you take before you decide you stop sending?
Is there a definitive number you can put on it?

I don't think so. Not if you love to write as I do.

Instead we keep pressing on--toward the goal. Do we have another choice?

The same goes for our lives. I have days when I think I can't do any more than I am doing to give us a good life. When it all crashes down in front of me, I want to give up. But I can't. That's not what God expects from me.

Keep running the race. He promises us it's worth it in the end.

25 comments:

MeganRebekah said...

I can't speak about rejections, as I haven't reached that stage yet, but I can relate to writing in general.
There are minutes and days, and even weeks, where I want to throw in the towel. I ask myself why I'm even trying this, why I'm setting myself up for failure.
And in the end, I do it because I can't seem to stop. And I enjoy it. And those are the important things that keep me going.

Donna M. Kohlstrom said...

Sometimes it's time to be in "time out", relax, refresh and renew, but not "throw in the towel"!

You're an incredible writer. Look where you started and where you are now! I'm envious of your talent to write non-fiction stories!

I've found that I can't stop writing! Even on days where I question what am I doing writing. It's a passion and an addiction!

Hang in there! Fan yourself with the "towel" and come back refreshed and ready to write!

Andrea said...

AMEN! I must keep on toward the goal.
Thank you for your prayers,
Andrea

Wendy Paine Miller said...

I love how your response has Scripture laced throughout.

I tried to memorize that one once...I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Is that it? Need to go back and memorize again. :D Always a do-over w/ Him!
~ Wendy

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Sometimes I just need to lay it all out for God to work with. For Him to pick up my broken pieces and carry me for a little bit until I've gained enough strength to continue on beside Him, instead of in His arms. It always comes down to surrendering to Him, for me.

Unknown said...

I'm not to the rejection stage, still working on penning that first submittal, though thanks to my blog, I'm getting started now with my adoption story!

Thanks for the inspirational post!

Billy Coffey said...

Great post, Tiffany. Thanks for the much-needed reminder to always decide to hang on just one more time. It's when I'm out of breath that I need to remember to just breathe deeper.

Great Grandma Lin said...

life is a test and we haven't failed as long as we keep trying. I thoroughly believe in being guided by the Spirit to know when to change directions/give up on one path and seek another. Prayer can bring answers.

Greg C said...

I have had to let a few things go this past year but continue to push on in other areas. I enabled me to catch my breath and push forward even harder.

Janna Leadbetter said...

We all have down and discouraged days. I think, to an extent, they're healthy. It's donning this attitude you've shared with us that makes it all okay; that we perk up and realize He's in control, and that He wants us to be proactive and seek what's best for us.

Thanks for the lovely post, Terri.

Pat's Place said...

Amen to that!

Jody Hedlund said...

Great minds think alike, Tiffany! I guess we were on the same wave length for our blogs today! Writers persevere against all odds!

Jan Cline said...

I heard a preacher on the radio last night talking about forgiveness. He said initially it's a crisis and you tell God that you want to forgive and relieve yourself of the burden of unforgiveness. You make the choice to forgive. From then on it's a process. But occasionally we have to return to the crisis stage and take it to God again. Then the process begins again and we press through until we eventually have victory. Maybe it's the same way with disappointment. It's crisis, process, crisis, process. But we don't die from it - it's just a test of endurance. I understand how tired you both must be. Prayers and blessings.

Jeanette Levellie said...

Dear Terri:
Praying for you and loving you,
Jen

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I'm keepin' on, even as you are, friend. I don't have the perfect answer for your question, but I have a perfect God who keeps me moving, most days in spite of my feelings that scream my surrender!

peace~elaine

Ginny said...

I have never had a rejection for my writing because I have not submitted yet. However, I want to throw in the towel at least once a day just because!
Terri, do not give up on your dreams or opportunities. Never, never, never give up even when the future looks bleak and unchanging. Where there is hope, there is life, and where there is life are opportunities for challenges to overcome. You have done it already, and with your goals, it will happen again!

Ginger said...

Hi Terri~ I can't personally relate this to writing, but I certainly can to other aspects of life.

There have been days when I was ready throw in the towel, head for the hills and just plain give up. However, that's when I think God is closer than I realize, helping me to persevere when I couldn't possibly do it on my own.

Praying for your strength today.

LisaShaw said...

Indeed it will be worth it all at the end dear sister.

Love you and praying for you even when I don't get a chance to pop over.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Terri -

You've already accomplished so much. It proves the gift is there. You may not be where you want to be in your writing, but you're not where you were 10 years ago.

Thanks for being transparent.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Melissa Amateis said...

AMEN.

I think there is a verse in the Bible (Romans, perhaps?) that talks about how we must keep running the race.

Giving up is not an option for me with my writing - and it's not an option in every other role I have.

But yes, sometimes you have to give yourself a break. That is imperative.

Jessica Nelson said...

He definitely promises that! Great post, Terri. :-)

BeckyJoie said...

I think that if we examine the reasons for which we write and stay true to them, then we will not give up on writing. If we write for the wrong reasons, and don't have the "success" that we think we should have, then we may as well give up.

True writers write for the pure love of it and for a good purpose and some make money while doing it.

BeckyJoie said...

Oh, and if you get fed up with rejection letters, write (but don't send) the writers of it a rejection letter of their rejection letter! It makes me feel better anyway. LOL.

Carmen said...

Great encouragement! It's easy to give up, but it's rewarding to keep on going when you love what you're doing. I really liked In Between Time's message today. Roll your works on the Lord,etc. That's the secret!

Unknown said...

I don't call ministry only that which is done within the church, and I don't persevere professionally only. I hope my persevering spirit has a more holistic perspective.