In my last post I talked about how difficult it is to know in the present when it is time to stop doing something - though we can all see with hindsight when we should have stopped. This post is on a similar, though slightly different theme: about giving up.
We don't like giving up. We are trained to persevere, to try harder, to keep working until we - hopefully - overcome. And, conversely, no-one wants to be seen as a 'quitter'!
But there are some times when it really is wise to give up!
When something cannot be accomplished, known or understood, to keep on trying leaves us immobilised, stuck, in limbo.
I think of people who cannot get over some terrible event because they cannot answer 'why?'; I think of people stuck following some significant injustice, but powerless to change the outcome; I think of people unable to move forward following a break-up or major rejection that they cannot reverse.
In these circumstances, giving up is the beginning of moving forward; it is the start of moving forward and living again.
Not everything can be known, not everything accomplished. When we have reached an impasse, despite our best efforts, there comes a time to give up, to let go. Here, the only - and best - human answer is "we don't know", or "I have tried but cannot do it".
But for Christians, this is also about knowing it is time to put the matter back into God's faithful hands - where it belongs - knowing that He does know, is just, and is loving.
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