On Perseverance and Giving Up

[435 words] Everyone gets tired from time to time. Often tiredness leads to exhaustion. When exhaustion is full and there’s still work to be done, it can lead to burnout. With burnout comes an increased distance from job or family responsibilities, negativity, cynicism, and an abiding feeling of needful change. The thought is that if I move, or change jobs, or drastically change immediate things in my life, I’ll be renewed and no longer feel like giving up. Solomon would say, this “is vanity and striving after the wind” (Eccl. 2:11). I believe more people are bordering on burnout than ever before. The toll of the last several strenuous years have left many with an emptiness and banality that they alone cannot grasp or manage. We’ve burned out in many cases. Yet, what God’s word says to people like us is, “don’t give up! Keep going!” When faced with persecution…