dontgiveup

Don't Give Up

By Kathryn Taylor

I had given up hope,

Didn't count the cost,

Could no longer cope-

I felt so lost-

I had weighed the odds-

I had tried so hard-

I had tromped and trod

With no holds barred-

I was down for the count,

Was about to jump ship,

Was thrown from my mount,

And shootin' from the hip-

It took months and years

To get to this place,

And gallons of tears

shed from my face-

It was then that I spied

A spark, a flame-

Hope had not died-

I was still in the game-

I grasped at straws,

Gassed up my tanks,

improved on my flaws,

Expecting no thanks-

I walked on thin ice,

Took back stolen ground,

Added some spice,

Made life more profound-

It is getting better

With each passing day-

I'm a real go-getter,

Never going halfway-

Parenting a RAD,

A most challenging task-

Don't believe it's that bad?

I dare you……… to ask-

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"Giving up" is subjective. It is not something one can say of another.... in all certainty. "Giving up" is something that happens within one's own heart.

In some family situations, bystanders accuse parents of "giving up". It may be the farthest thing from the truth. It may only appear that way. Unless we are walking in that person's shoes, with the same exact details and dynamics, there is no way we can make those judgements on another, no matter how much we think we know.

I feel like I have given up on numerous occasions as I battle in my own personal war with RAD. I come to a stalemate: I am empty...... I'm out of ideas...... Nothing is working...... My kids have fox-holed themselves in, with nothing more than a mouth showing for air and food. It's like a storm system that has stalled, dumping feet of snow, or inches of rain, grid-locking an area into a natural disaster site. During those times, I can understand why God would kick Adam and Eve out of a garden.... why He would destroy Soddom and Gamorah, send a flood over the whole earth...... send a great fish to swallow a man whole..... or banish someone to the desert for 40 years.

Then times come when the storm clears: the kids give up a little control, I get some new ideas and strategies, and I get rejuvenated from another source. Then, I can relate to rainbows of promise, belching fish, manna falling Heaven, entering the promised land, and most of all, the ultimate sacrifice, the Son of God.... sinless..... perfect.....dying to save us from our sins, so that once again we can be with God again like it was before Adam and Eve sinned.

No matter how many people think you gave up, no matter how many times you've wanted to give up, no matter how many times you thought you had given up, and no matter how many people tell you that you should give up, just remember that the Ultimate Giver's opinion is the only one that matters. He does not judge as the world judges. He judges the unseen. He judges the heart. I trust Him completely because He is the king of "give up". He "gave it all up" to love us and redeem us.

Thank God for giving up.