We Give Up Too Easily During the Struggle

I’ve found that “struggle” and “persevere” at times can be confessed as being the same thing, when actually depending on how you use them, they are very different in meaning.

Struggle, (verb)…to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems.

Persevere, (verb)…press on/ahead, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, stand one’s ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, stop at nothing, leave no stone unturned.

This summer I found myself in a great struggle to complete a baby blanket for my youngest daughter’s boss at college. The announcement was made in late April that they were expecting a little boy. She was such a wonderful mentor, big sister and cheerleader for my daughter that I wanted to do something special for her and her new baby. And for me, that would be to crochet her little one a beautiful blanket. Only problem—I don’t crochet during the summer months. It might sound strange to some of you other “hookers” out there, but it is my reality. But nonetheless I decided to bite the bullet and make a blanket. Oh, boy!

It proved to be a long and drawn-out event. But not being one who gives up so easily, I struggled (not persevered) through the process. After all it was of my making and in my control.

Just getting started seemed like the challenge of a lifetime. I mean, I had to dig deep and talk myself into at least doing the chains (Didn’t want to touch the yarn!).

As time went on, it didn’t get much better—completing a couple of rows of fans was such a drag! The temptation to ditch the idea of making the blanket and buy a gift was forever on my mind. After all, I didn’t tell her I was making a blanket—no commitment—no responsibility. Right! Well, not exactly—I really wanted to show her how grateful I was for her watching over my girl and being there for her in a trying situation. So, I guess I had made a commitment to myself.

The temptation to give up or sort of cheat is always before us. And when I say, “Cheat” I’m speaking figuratively about with ourselves.

‘You want to lose weight so you joined the gym, but you haven’t told anyone so it’s okay if you stop going after the first few times.’

‘A sermon inspired you to take at least 15 minutes each day to read the Bible, but it’s sort of hard so, you think you’ll make it every other day.’

These are the things I call cheating on ourselves with. But you know what girls; I think we always lose in the long run, when we give into this type of thinking. Making change or doing something new is never easy—there is going to be some type of struggle along the way. Trick is, we have to decide how badly we want to get to the other end of the struggle. Is it really important? We just have to make up our minds—either we are in or either we are out!

It literally took me all summer to make a blanket that I can do in 2 weeks. I was on again, off again, like a bad relationship. Even in an air conditioned room, I found little comfort as my fingers hooked those tiny fans and figured out a color pattern. Truth is—I finished the fringe about 3 hours before we pulled out to head up to college this past Tuesday. But that was okay. Because I finished it even though I found it very difficult to do! It turned out beautiful and I know the mother-to-be is going to love it and hence, will have a beautiful keepsake. And that was my desired goal. I would have liked it to have been a quicker process, but nonetheless—I finished! LOL!

I think that as we learn to not give up on things we want to do (and they’re okay with God), so quickly, we will be better prepared to “persevere” through those things we have no control over.

Making it to the other end of the struggle takes a determination, even when we keep failing or falling down in it. Sometimes I went as long as 3 weeks without touching the blanket, (kept talking about it) and then I would pick it up and work on it a little for 2 days and put it down again. Near the end I had a great push to finish. But wouldn’t you know it…I ran out of white yarn! I had to wait about a week before I could get it, and by then I had lost my get-up-and-go to finish. So, I found myself with 2 days left for completion.

Sisters, maybe it’s that book you started to write 5 years ago or the weight you’ve been struggling to lose over the years—don’t give up! Work through the struggle. Don’t let the difficulty deter you. Go back and pickup where you left off. There is no shame in starting over. There are many things in our lives where we alone hold the blame for them not getting done.

Has this experience changed the way I feel about crocheting during the summer months? Nope! But it reminded me that even though something is difficult to do, if I want it bad enough I can make it through the struggle! J

What’s that thing for you?

Until next week,

Love and Hugs

Ponnie