Don’t Quit!

panoramic view of highway between bushes during sunrise

Early one spring morning in 2020, I heard the rumbling sounds of chainsaws. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As I walked outside to our back patio, trees that had been part of our lives for over 25 years fell, one right after the other. Our new neighbors decided that from their vantage point, there were too many trees. From our side of the rod-iron fence, these trees provided privacy, shade, and protection from the heat for all the bushes we had planted on that side of the yard.

I was stunned, angry, aggravated, and back angry again. Covid had brought so many changes; this was just one more I didn’t like. Their decision about their property changed my property drastically. It was then I was reminded of Isaiah 43:19 when the Lord said;

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Honestly, I saw it was a “new thing,” but it didn’t seem like a “good thing.” The next morning, as I often do, is take my cup of coffee and sit on the patio. However, this time, my view was different. I could watch the sunrise for the first time from my patio chair. In my Spirit, I heard the Lord say, “Now you can see my Son better.”

Change can be challenging, and sometimes what’s harder is when you see no change; trusting in the Lord is essential. His timing is always perfect, and God is always for us. When God gave me the vision of Choose to Soar over fifteen years ago, it wasn’t until about the third year that clarity started coming. Then we prayed specifically for God’s leading, will, and provision. It didn’t come right away, and we were slow growing. The many times I wanted to quit are too many to count. But the Lord would remind me that He wasn’t interested in what I was doing but who I was becoming. The pain, sorrow, and times of discouragement would turn me to set my eyes on Jesus. In my Spirit God’s Word, I would hear, “I am doing a new thing, and I am close to you, and I am for you.”

In this new season of Choose to Soar, God is doing a “new thing.” I perceive it a little better now because of the constant discipling from Jesus. Our ministry would not have survived if the growth had happened during my season of loss. God was making way for His Ministry.

Here is the point I am trying to make. Don’t quit! God can change your heart instantly, but sometimes it’s a process.   During “His process,” don’t get stuck in patterns that paralyze you. Stay the course, and ask yourself this question, Am I resisting the movement of God because He is doing a new thing and I do not perceive it correctly? Resisting change is normal, but don’t let doubt or cynicism settle in your heart. If you are breathing, your life matters! Today! Right now! The Kingdom needs you. God created you with a purpose in mind. So, don’t even think about quitting!

Picture of Tanya Magnus

Tanya Magnus

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