I Quit!

Gabriel thought it would be a good idea to put a zip-tie on his thumb as tight as he could.
Don't worry, even though it was turning purple I was able to cut it off (after I snapped a pic of course, haha!).
This is only a small glimpse of what we deal with on a daily basis: )

“That’s it, I quit! I’ve had enough and I can’t take it anymore!” OK. I feel better now that I’ve said it out loud. But deep inside I know that I can’t (quit, that is).

Quitting is always a temptation when things are tough and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. You can’t imagine how many times we’ve wanted to quit over the last few years. It’s so difficult living in a foreign country where the culture is so much different than ours. Then, add to that, the fact that we live in the jungle where even most of our brazilian friends have told us that they wouldn’t even want to live (they all live in the city). And when I think about how inconvenient everything in our life is... from dirty/parasite infested water to sporadic electricity, from no phone to no internet, to no exterminators (or chemicals) to kill all the bugs in my house, to having to weed eat 110acres of property because they don’t make lawnmowers here, to having a car that’s literally falling apart because of the brutal roads we live on, to not being able to go somewhere as a family for over 2 years because our vehicle can’t fit the whole family at the same time, to not being able to go and meet with a friend once in a while for encouragement because you’re here by yourself, to freezing our butts off all winter (inside our house) because we don’t have heat in our house (or in our car), to not being able to get the help we need for our adopted kids in this country (psychological, speech therapy, educational assistance, etc.) and we feel like they’ve digressed since moving back to Brazil, and the list could go on and on. Quitting? Heck yeah, we’ve thought about it. And to say that plan “b” hasn’t come-up would be a lie, because we’ve considered it several times. 

When there’s difficulty the natural response is to throw in the towel and find something else that’s easier and more convenient. I’ve got to admit, I’m the farthest person from a person who quits anything. Actually to a fault sometimes. I’d rather die than let something or somebody beat me. But since we’ve been here in Brazil quitting is always lingering in my mind.

But as a follower of Christ we can’t do it. We’ve been given promises that we can’t forget. He promised that in this world we’d have trouble (John 16:33 ). He also said that the road that leads to life is hard (Matthew 7:14 ). He said to count it all joy when, not if, I faced various trials (James 1:2 ), and the list could go on and on.

So, with that in mind, quitting (or changing what I’m doing) can NEVER be done solely because of being in a difficult situation. It needs to happen when and only when the Spirit of God says, “it’s time to go.” Now don’t get me wrong- sometimes when things are tough He’ll say, “you need to go.” But difficulty can’t be the only determining factor for leaving somewhere (just as staying somewhere can't be the determining factor to stay- just because it’s easy). We’ve always got to listen for His voice.

So how about you? Are you walking through a difficult situation right now that you’re trying to escape? If so, I’d encourage you to listen for His voice before you make a move. It may not be comfortable, but it’s better to be uncomfortable ‘in the will of God’ rather than being comfortable ‘outside His will.’ So hang in there until He says, “Go.” You (and me) will be glad we did.

"I have said these things to you so that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

                        Jesus (John 16:33)

Hangin’ Tough (aka, not giving up),

Jim and MJ