How to Keep Trying When You Want to Quit
By: Alisha Headley
Plant your seeds early in the morning and keep working in the field until dark. Who knows? Your work might pay off, and your seeds might produce. - Ecclesiastes 11:6
Do you feel you keep trying and trying, yet never see the results you are hoping for? I’m in a season where someone dear to me is walking a path of destruction. This person has walked completely away from the Lord and into sin that is causing destruction in their life and hurting mine. I keep praying. I keep hoping. I keep loving. I keep forgiving. I keep seeking God for direction. I keep being kind. I keep showing gentleness. I keep living a life striving to be right for God hoping it will influence the unbeliever near me.
Nothing seems to be working. I get glimpses of hope only to be disappointed when behavior tells a different story than the one I’m praying for. When will this end? When will I see the fruits of my labor? I feel I plant seeds each and every day. Of course, I am human and still reside in my flesh. At times, I am weak and get frustrated and plant bad seeds, but many more good seeds are planted that far outweighs the bad seeds. I seek God daily and strive to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit.
Looking at today’s key verse, I am reminded to keep planting seeds. The deeper the root, the deeper the healing, and the bigger the blessing that will come. Today’s verse uses the word “might” twice. We don’t know what seeds will produce and in fact, we are told they only ‘might’ produce. We don’t know what soil the seed is being placed in. But it is our love for the Lord and wanting to stay obedient to Him, that we should never stop planting.
What is supposed to grow WILL grow. And it’s in obedience to the Lord, that we are to keep on planting. Once we plant, leave it alone. See what happens. We might not see the results of the seeds we plant in the physical world, but we will see the blessings of them one day. Whether here on earth or in Heaven.
Are you sowing and not seeing any fruit?
I encourage you to do the following:
1. Plant seeds each and every day
2. Leave it alone and trust God
3. Wait on the Lord and see what happens
4. Lastly - guard yourself against the enemy. The enemy tries to tell you to stop sowing. To stop trying. Stand up against the enemy and:
Sow anyway
Love anyway
Forgive anyway
Show up anyway
Dive into the word anyway
Even if the fruit of your sowing isn’t showing up in your life yet, just keep on sowing. Don’t try to sort it out. Don’t try to root it up. Don’t ever stop sowing. As the scripture implies, the seeds we plant MIGHT pay off and MIGHT produce. But God is so honored and going to bless you for sowing seeds for His Kingdom. Trust that the seeds will produce and never stop. Our God is a God of power and full of abundant blessings. He sees you planting seeds. Genesis 16:13 describes the Lord as “The God-who-sees-me.” The season you are in won’t be forever. Hang on dear friends, God is at work in the Harvest.
Alisha Headley is a writer and speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom and power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s Word. You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Thursday, 12 January 2023.
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