✨ Give Up

For most of my life, “giving up” was my default response when things got hard.

If a friend hurt me, I wouldn’t talk about it — I’d just end the friendship.
When college became too difficult, I dropped out.
If a job demanded too much, I found another one.
When a relationship became complicated or painful, I walked away.

That’s how I handled challenges — by running. By quitting. By giving up.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that this pattern was shaping not only my relationships with people, but also my relationship with God.

When prayer didn’t seem to work fast enough, I’d stop praying.
When worship felt heavy, I’d stop singing.
When God didn’t move on my timeline, I’d stop trusting, stop pressing in, stop showing up.

Because that’s what I’d always done — walk away when things got hard.

But what God has been showing me is this: maybe I was meant to give up — just not in the way I thought.

Instead of giving up on Him, I was supposed to give up to Him.
To surrender my will, my time, my emotions, and my expectations.
To lay it all down and let Him lead.

🌾 A Lesson from Joseph — Genesis 45:4–8

Joseph’s story has always moved me.

He was Jacob’s beloved son — the favorite. A dreamer. And because of that, his brothers resented him deeply. When Joseph shared a dream that hinted he would one day reign over them, it pushed their jealousy over the edge. They sold him to Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt, where he was sold again to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials.

If I’m honest, that alone would’ve made me give up. Betrayed by family. Stripped of freedom. Far from home.
It’s easy to imagine Joseph wondering, “Does God still love me? Did I do something wrong?”

But Joseph’s story teaches us something vital:

The presence of trouble is not the absence of God.

✨ 1. The Presence of Trouble is Not the Absence of God

Later in the story, Joseph was falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown into prison (Genesis 39:20–21).

If we’re honest, jail would feel like the end — the breaking point. But for Joseph, it became another opportunity to serve, to minister, and to interpret dreams through the power of God.

How many times do we interpret hardship as abandonment?
When finances fall apart, when relationships break, when jobs end — we assume God has left us. But Joseph’s life reminds us:

God’s presence isn’t proven by comfort — it’s revealed in how He carries us through discomfort.

None of us are exempt from pain. Jesus Himself told us in John 16:33:

“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The difference for us as believers is this:
We don’t walk through trouble alone.
The Holy Spirit walks with us, giving peace, perspective, and strength to keep going.

Maybe Joseph shouldn’t have told his brothers his dream — or maybe, just maybe, that betrayal was part of the plan. Maybe the pit was necessary to reach the palace.

Maybe what you see as a setback is actually God setting you up for purpose.

💛 The Real “Give Up”

So now, when I feel tempted to quit, I remind myself:
I’m not giving up — I’m giving in.
I’m surrendering to God’s plan, His pace, and His presence.

Because the journey might be hard, but He’s in it.
And if He’s in it, there’s purpose in it.

🌿 Reflection:

• Where in your life have you been tempted to give up?

• What might surrender look like instead?

• How can you invite the Holy Spirit into the places that feel heavy?

Take heart — God hasn’t left you. He’s working, even here.