I’ve been toying with a temptation lately, something that allures many of us in difficulty: the temptation to quit.  The stress of what’s going on in my life feels far beyond what I can bear (not trying to dramatize, just wanna be transparent on this blog thingy 🙂

I think we all value Authenticity–myself especially–yet I’ve seen myself grow increasingly fake as I’ve struggled to handle what’s happening in my heart.  How do I tell people?

Welp, I haven’t.

But I think bearing burdens together makes you grow stronger, not weaker like I’ve always feared.  Grief shared is halved.  Whenever I’ve opened up, I felt much lighter and free-er, and my struggle lost much of its power/grip on me.  And my fears–the ones that told me to give up–died when brought to light.  I began asking myself, What was I so scared of?

Today I stumbled upon a fantastic ditty on “Quitting”, written by a man named Stephen Diffy (with some additions/edits by me).  I hope his piece inspires you to keep going, to trust God when we’re hard-pressed, and to not give up either.

We press on.

xoxox Summer

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One day I decided to quit… I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God,” I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”  His answer surprised me.

“Look around,” He said.  “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.  I gave them light.  I gave them water.  The fern quickly grew from the earth.  Its brilliant green covered the floor.  Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.

“But I did not quit on the bamboo.  In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.  And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.  But I did not quit on the bamboo,” He said.

“In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.  But I would not quit.  In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.  I would not quit,” He said.  “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

“Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant… but just 6 months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

“It had spent the five years growing roots.

“Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.  Without deep roots, the bamboo would have never grown to be so tall–it wouldn’t have had the strength to support its massive height.

“Trust Me when you don’t see progress in your life.  I would not give any of My creations a challenge it could not handle or one without purpose.”

He said to me, “Did you know, My child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?

“I would not quit on the bamboo.  I will never quit on you.  Don’t compare yourself to others,” He said.  “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern… yet they both make the forest beautiful.

“Your time will come,” God said to me.  “You will rise high!”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

“Yes,” He said.  “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.  Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness
Bad days give you experiences
Both are essential to life.

“A happy and meaningful life requires our continuous input and creativity.  It does not happen by chance.  It happens because of our choices and actions.  And each day we are given new opportunities to choose and act and, in doing so, we create our own unique journey.”  Keep going…

Happiness keeps you sweet,
Trials keep you strong,
Sorrows keep you human,
Failures keep you humble,
Success keeps you glowing,
but only God keeps you going!