Did you know that the 2nd Friday in January has been dubbed National Quitters Day? It’s the day most people abandon their New Year’s Eve Resolutions.
I learned this from author Bob Goff’s new devotional, Catching Whimsy! Like some of us, Bob Goff was always taught to not be a quitter. I vividly recall my parents telling my siblings and me, “If you start something, you need to finish it!” This is excellent advice for many things but certainly not for everything! Not wanting to be a quitter kept me in a difficult marriage for many years. It kept me in a job that I should have quit sooner! It kept one of my friends in piano lessons for a long time, and she was miserable. I’m sure we can all think of something we’ve started and discovered just wasn’t for us!
Something I truly love is working crossword puzzles. I do at least two every day and would likely do more if I had the time. According to experts, completing crossword puzzles can improve cognitive functions and may slow the decline of brain function! What a great thing, and I absolutely love it! During the season of Lent, we are encouraged to give up (or quit) something as an act of sacrifice, just as Jesus fasted before His crucifixion. This can help us grow spiritually as we reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I’ve been praying about what (if anything) I should give up this year, and guess what? I’m going to be a quitter! I’m giving up my crossword puzzles. Oh, how I’ll miss them! My routine will need to change completely.
But you know, this will be completely useless unless I use the time to remember and consider Jesus’ selfless act on the cross. How will I do that? By meditating on God’s word, praying, and reading my daily devotionals instead of doing the puzzles.
Just as crossword puzzles aren’t necessarily bad for me, perhaps there’s something, maybe even something good for you, that consumes a lot of your time and attention that you could quit during this time. Is God nudging you to be a quitter this Lent? Is there anything you could stop doing for these 40 days that would draw you closer to Him?
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – Hebrews 12:1 – 2
Susan Meharg, Assistant to Executive Team
