3 Ways Not to Quit When Life is Dull

Let’s face it.  Some days it seems like it would be easier to just quit.

Some days I don’t feel like I can keep going.

I doubt that I can finish the race.

I’m too tired to fight the good fight anymore.

I’m too weak to keep the faith.

Can you relate?  There are some seasons in life that are harder than others.

I find that the hardest seasons are not necessarily when trials are occurring, or when blessings are flowing, but when everything is just still and nondescript.

When we go through trials, we cling closer to God.  When we lose a job, or our boss is a jerk everyday, or a family member is ill.  Those are the times when we are on our knees, begging for strength to make it through each day.

When blessings flow, we don’t want to give up.  We want to bask in the joy of the overflow.  We are riding on cloud 9 when we get that promotion, or a new member joins the family or we get a breakthrough in finances.  Those are the times when we throw our hands up in praise as we drive.  Where we can’t thank God enough times in a day, where we smile as we walk through the grocery store.

When things are dull and boring and nothing seems to be moving forward, those are the times when we let our guard down. We’re in waiting mode.  We’re waiting for God to speak, waiting for Him to move, and truth is, we all hate to wait!

What do we do?  How do we stay on fire for God and stay on the task He has called us to when nothing is happening?  Here’s 3 ways not to quit when life is dull:

1. Be realistic

All over social media, things are happening to people.  They are publishing books, and climbing mountains.  Even within the faith community, we listen to speakers and missionaries whose lives sound like a constant stream of God awesomeness everyday.

I have tons of “God Stories”.  Stories of amazing things that God has orchestrated and brought into my life.  But they don’t happen every day of the week. They are the punctuation in an otherwise normal sentence.  Days and weeks occur in between the happenings.

We need to be realistic that life is not about constant exciting happenings and breakthroughs.  If every day was full of these, they wouldn’t be so exciting anymore.

God is not in our lives to entertain us, He is in our lives to make us more like His Son.

[Tweet “God is not in our lives to entertain us, He is in our lives to make us more like His Son.”]

Being realistic about life will keep you from quitting.

2. Enjoy the journey more than the destination

Life is all abut the little moments in between the big moments.  I often think of my life with God as a big “Godventure”, because I’m on the journey with Him.  God wants us to enjoy His presence from day-to-day, instead of looking for the next big thing to enjoy.

God is with you right now, in your day-to-day.  He wants you to enjoy that about Him.  The great thing about doing every day with God, is that you never have to feel like a day is wasted.  God uses every day and every situation,no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

In Zechariah, when the temple construction begins,God says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”  (Zech 4:10a).

Building is a pretty long process, and is full of little steps and tedious calculations.  But each little step and calculations is vital to the completion of the building.  Miss one step and your building won’t stand.

Enjoy the process God is taking you through, realizing that each step, no matter how small, is vital. Enjoy each day, one day at a time, reveling in God’s presence with you.  Then you won’t feel like quitting.

3. Reboot your soul

A season of quiet with not much happening in our lives is like a beautiful gift from God.  It’s a time to rest and reflect. It can be used to become discouraged or encouraged.  We can sit and think about all that we are not accomplishing, or we can sit and think about God.

When we give ourselves permission to be still, God can speak great things into our hearts.

[Tweet “When we give ourselves permission to be still, God can speak great things into our hearts.”]

When we are constantly busy and looking for the next big thing, or going through a busy season, it’s hard to hear God whispering in our ear and heart the special message He has just for us.

God loves to spend time with us.  We just don’t always make time for Him.  If we don’t make time for Him, He will make it for us.

Use the down time as a reboot time and you won’t want to quit, instead you will look forward to the dull, boring times as a gift from your Father’s hand to enjoy Him more.

What about you?

When do you most feel like quitting?  Is it in the trials, the blessings, or the “borings”?

What tips do you use when you feel like quitting?

Share in the comments and we can learn together from each other.