When 'Quitting' is God's Will for You...

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a post, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend! 

Typically I work very hard to reply to every post, but I must tell you, I am about 20 replies behind right now! Forgive me. I'm buried.  Please pray for me if you think of me. I'll get to those post replies as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience...

Now on to my topic:

Monday on Live the Promise my guest was Geri Scazzero and we talked about her book, 'I Quit! Stop Pretending Everything is Fine and Change Your Life". Listen to the interview here...

Geri is a pastor's wife who had 'served' dutifully for years to the point of utter and absolute burnout. Then one day - when she couldn't take another moment - she declared to her husband (my paraphrase), "I quit! This church may be growing, but I'm dying inside. I'm leaving this church and going somewhere else!'

Well, you can imagine how that landed on her husband. Long story short, though it turned things upside down for a while, her choice exposed a system within her marriage and her church that wasn't conducive to intimacy with God, intimacy with her husband, and a life that involved rest. The church culture was so fast paced, there was no time for replenishment. Now, Geri has the marriage of her dreams and their church culture is one that fosters life and balance. 

Years ago I hit that same wall of, 'I can't do it anymore!' and had to step away from a significant commitment. I had been trying to send up warning flares that my soul was depleted but everyone was busy with their own work and no one understood how desperate I was becoming. So, one day, I had to lay it down and say, "I'm done." And, that was the beginning of healing for me. It took a while for me to burn out, and it took a while for me to recover. But out of that season I learned a very valuable lesson. A couple lessons, actually. 

Nobody knows my limits like I do (and God, of course). It's up to me to establish personal boundaries so that I'll not only survive, but thrive in life. A second lesson I learned is that ideally, you don't want to get to such a crisis point that you have to blow up and quit in a moment's notice. Which brings me back to my first point: it's SO important that you pay attention to how your commitments are affecting you! Make some changes NOW if you need to so you can last long and finish strong! Ask God to show you how to honorably adjust your schedule and commitments so you can make room for life, and breath, and joy, and replenishment. Life must have its ebb and flow - not just flow! 

You might be at a breaking point right now. Here are four indicators to help you discern if you need to make some serious changes in your life immediately  (taken from Geri's book, "I Quit!):

• You violate your own integrity (how you're living speaks differently than what you truly believe and value)


• What or whom you love is at stake


• Your present situation pain is so great, you have to make a change


• The fear of things staying the SAME is actually worse than the fear of things changing

If you are in a desperate place right now, may you steal away for some time with the Lord. May you look up and listen for His voice. He will show you the way you should go. He WANTS you to be replenished, rested, and refueled. It's not impossible! You're not stuck, though you may feel otherwise!

Jesus reigns over your circumstances and He can and will deliver you if you trust Him.

Have a blessed week~

Susie

Comments

[Teresa]

Wow. This hit Home. I need this book. There are days when I'm getting ready in the morning and as I put my make up on I think to myself "What if my outside appearance matched what I really feel like in my heart?" ...it would be pretty ugly somedays! Why do we do that -pretend everything is fine when sometimes that is not the reality!?

Thank you for writing about this today. I needed it!

[Kathleen Martin]

This was so good and was a surprise to me. I thought it was going to say something else, I was afraid that God was going to tell me to "quit" when I feel like He is beginning something new in me. It took nerve and courageous to go ahead and read it. So true, we all need margin in our lives, we all need to be constantly refreshed by His spirit. He knows we are made of dust and has never intended for our load to be heavy. If it is then we are not resting in Him nor paying attention to His leading. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Thank you Susie!

[Karen S.]

Guilt from not being able to do it all, and do it all well, is such a powerful weapon of Satan. Why does God let us learn about boundaries and balance the hard way sometimes? Maybe it's a matter of learning not only how to love our neighbors as ourselves, but sometimes loving ourselves as we do our neighbors. Thanks for a great post, Susie. There's a lot of "food for thought" here.

[Jan in Tulsa]

This is the first time I've read your blog. A friend of mine has posted some of your quotes on FB, and I really appreciate your wisdom!My thing is that I spend way too much time reading too many people's words of encouragement, and at the end of the day, I am left wanting. God reminds me I need to quit depending on other's words, and spend more time with Him. I like to share insights I receive from Him, and that leads to me reading and scanning when I should post my thought and move to things that need to be done away from the computer!True confessions :-)

Blessings,Jan

[Joleen]

This really spoke to me as I read it. About 15 months ago I decided to lay down my corporate position at at Fortune 500 company. I had worked there for 17 years and prior to that, 9 years at another company. My heart was simply not in it and I felt burned out. I had become a first time mom later in life (age 43), when my husband and I adopted a baby from Guatemala in '05. I did go back to work after she came home, but I found it hard to focus effectively on the demands of work (my husband has a demanding corp position too), while providing her the right care and attention. After a year or more of praying, talking it out with my husband, and making decisions about finances, I submitted my resignation. It was tough and a huge adjustment for me. Some women wondered what in the world I was doing leaving a good job, especially when my daughter would be going to kindergarten FT the following year. I know it was the right decision for me and our family. It took a lot of courage for me to do this. But the bond I have with my 6 yr old is stronger than ever and I can't put a price on that. I finally had to admit that I simply couldn't juggle everything the way I use to and run at a pace like I did in my 20's and 30's. God does know me best and He has been faithful throughout this. When I finally surrendered my fears about quitting to Him, I was able to do it!

[Emily]

I heard your show with Geri on Monday. My husband and I had recently made a decision to "quit" our church and were confident in God's direction. It was so difficult as we both attended that church while we were friends, while we dated, and eventually were married there. It was family to us. But through our own time of studying the Word together and praying, and the fruit that was coming from our roles at church, we left. We talked to our pastor about our decision and continue to be grateful for his support as we seek God's direction for our family. It has been a time of freedom, growth, and excitement for us, and we look forward to getting connected to the new fellowship we have become a part of! Listening to the show on Monday was a good reminder for me. I know that sometimes we do have to "stick things out". But other times God is telling us that it is time to move on and if we listen to him and are obedient to his word he will tell us how to go about it and he will take us to the next step!

[Karen]

I did the same thing recently. Told my husband who is the worship leader at our church, "I quit! I quit everything except what is beneficial to my sanity and spiritual health". I believe it was one of the best decisions I ever made.