P31OBS 5 Habits of a Woman who won't quit: Is it worth it?

When we talk about Moving Forward in Faith, we are talking about taking steps even though we don't know where we will end up or exactly how things will turn out.  We BELIEVE it will turn out for our good but we don't know for sure.

We don't even know WHERE we are going!  We set our destination course and think we have it figured out and then things go waaaay left.  It's crazy!  But Faith is CRAZY.  That's the whole point.  Then of course the doubts come in.

• Maybe I made it all up
• Nothing has happened so far so maybe nothing will happen
• This seems to be going nowhere fast
• I think that this is a waste of time
• Is it worth it?

That last question is the point of this post because I think so many people ask themselves is it worth it?  

• Is it worth it to keep trying to do the right thing when I don't seem to be getting rewarded for it 
• Is it worth it to try and live my life this way when other people can live crazy and get all types of blessings?  
• Is it worth it to believe for something good to happen when  all I've known are disappointments?

These are real questions and real doubts that I've had and no doubt many others have had along the way.

Is it worth it to keep trying to do the right thing when I don't seem to be getting rewarded for it?

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy talks about how people wouldn't smoke if they developed lung cancer after the first cigarette.  People would be more cautious if they had a heart attack when they ate foods that are unhealthy.

The point is that because it often takes years for the effects of poor nutrition, smoking, and other vices to show up people tend to throw caution to the wind and believe it's not hurting anything until they get sick.

Well if that's true, then wouldn't we say it's true about good habits.  We often grumble and complain because we ate more vegetables and drank more water but did not lose 30 pounds in 7 days.  We want insta results from good habits when just like Bad Habits it can take years for the results to show up.

I think about my own journey that really began 3 years ago.  I started writing on this blog, I started doing Online Bible Studies, and I really started my personal development.  I had this goal of having a purpose driven life which included a purpose driven career and marriage all with impact.

Sometimes I think What if I hadn't started this process?  I would probably be still chasing after men who had zero interest, still too scared to start my own business, and would have settled for a life I hated.  Even though I got very frustrated (and still do) at times, it has been worth it to keep learning and growing.  I doubt I would be where I am had I not started and stayed with this.  On the outside it doesn't look like I've done much but I KNOW I am a completely different person with a completely different mindset.

I love what Joyce Meyer says: Sometimes you have to do the right thing for a long time before you got a right result.

She even talks about how long it took for her ministry to take off.  For years they were in store fronts, banquet halls with chicken bones on the floor, and zero money.  It was years and years and years before they gained traction.

Sometimes you have to do the right thing for a long time before you get a right result - Joyce Meyer

Many of us really need to stop looking for instant results and gratification and start celebrating the small wins.  We are in it for the long haul.  No InstaResults over here.

Is it worth it to try and live my life this way when other people can live crazy and get all types of blessings?  

First off you don't know if what they have are blessings.  You just know what you are seeing on the surface.  Sometimes what we think is sugar is really salt.  Second, it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS how others are living and worrying about their blessings!  We must stay focused on ourselves and stop comparing.

The Meltdown 

About 2 years ago I had a meltdown in a restaurant over this same issue.  It's the issue that landed me in the wilderness in 2014.  It's archived on the blog in January 2014

So with that you can gain some insight into when I had to deal with this issue.  Looking back my reaction was pretty bad to the situation and it just all reflected my unbelief.  

Two years post meltdown I can honestly say we should mind our own business because we don't know WHAT is REALLY going on.  What looks good on the surface could really be poison on the inside.  We should not get caught up in social media, how things look on the surface, and all of that. Even when people want to talk it up...don't be fooled and don't start comparing yourself.  Just say:  I wish them the best!  Worry about living your OWN life the best you can because YOU are the one who will have to deal with the results.

Is it worth it to believe for something good to happen when all I've known are disappointments?

This is my sad song when I'm focused on all that I think has gone wrong in my life.  The truth is there have been a LOT of tremendous blessings in my life that I don't deserve.  I haven't only known disappointments.  I've known triumph and breaking free from chains so why don't I focus on that more? 

Because it's so much more fun to complain and grumble!  It gives me something to do!! For real though, I've started thinking: God has brought me this far and he's given me the grace to do more than I ever dreamed I could do so why don't I think he will do this for ALL aspects of my life?  He's just preparing me as he has with everything else.  

It is worth it to believe something good can happen because chances like me, you've known more than disappointments.  You are just focused on those because it gives you something to fix, something to complain about, something to pity yourself about, something to fantasize about that you hope will change in the future.

It's worth it to believe in a fulfilled and impactful life.  Man...if you could just understand that people who wallow in the miry pit and stay there...are often there for 30 or 40 years.  They are just wasting their lives away because they don't believe anything new, exciting, or good can happen for them.  

Remember Isaiah 43:19

For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert! 

Is it worth it?

Truth is we won't know until we come to these points in our lives when we look back and say: Yep that was definitely worth it.  For me it was worth it to stick it out in undergrad because I wouldn't have found my purpose and calling.  

It was worth it to leave the Church of Legalism despite opposition because I would not have any faith and I would not know God.

It's worth it to start my own business and be broke for a while because I believe that my movement and teachings are going to help a lot of woman.

It's worth it to do all this preparation for this nameless and faceless person that I keep praying for because I believe there's an amazing story and amazing testimony that will happen.

Let's not give up!

Here's what I wrote on Facebook Today:

Women who don't quit move forward even when they're not sure of what's going to happen. We move forward even though it's risky, scary, and face opposition because we have CERTAIN BELIEF that it's worth it to keep going. Martin Luther King Jr. Says faith is taking the first step when you can't see the whole staircase. We Keep taking steps every day

To God be the GLORY