Give it up!!!!

Give it up.  Isn't that a funny saying?  It can mean so many things.  Sometimes you hear someone say "Give it up for so and so" which means give the person a round of applause - cheer them on!!!  Sometimes, you hear someone say "Give it up" and it's laced with sarcasm because they just want you to stop doing what you are doing.  Another time, you might hear someone say "GIVE IT UP!" in a demanding tone, and it means give it to me right now!!!!

Today, my "give it up" means to just stop trying.  Just stop.  Just give it up!  Let me explain.

This weekend, I had my heart stomped on.  My feelings crushed.  You know what I mean.  Those times in your life when you have given your whole heart to something.  You have tried so hard to accomplish something.  You have persevered and in your own mind felt that you really had conquered what ever it was that you were working toward. It might be a project.  It might be a recipe.  It might be an attitude you were trying to eradicate. It might be a friendship you were trying to work on or repair. It might be a character trait that you were working hard at trying to change.  Whatever it was, you were feeling pretty good about what you were doing, and how you were really reaching that goal.  And not proud in a bad way.  But feeling thankful - grateful for whatever your accomplishment had been.

And then in one foul swoop, those feelings were crushed.  Your efforts were trampled on.  You were made to feel that all the efforts you had worked on so hard and long were all for not.  Someone or something crushed your spirit and that joy that you had been feeling was stamped out in one action. . . in one sentence. . . in one look. . . in one mocking laugh.  The joy, the accomplishment you had once felt was sucked out, and all you were left with was a void.

And you just want to throw whatever it was that you were working towards, what you were working on, you just want to throw it away.  Well, that is NOT the "give it up" that I was thinking about either.

Like I said, this weekend, I had my feelings crushed.  My spirit bruised.  And I was broken.  I just wanted to walk away and forget what I had worked on so hard. I began to nurse a "poor me" complex.  I began to nurture the "I'm no good for anything" complex.  I began to sing the song "Why even try????"  All those things swirled around in my head.  I started becoming more and more negative.

 As I nursed those thoughts in my mind, and justified them, and rationalized them as being "truth", the thought crossed my mind of what God must have felt when Adam and Eve sinned.  Here he had made the most beautiful perfect creatures.  He had given them everything they ever could have wanted.  He even gave them each other - when in fact He had created them for His own pleasure.  God saw everything and it was GOOD!   And in one fateful moment, all of that was lost.  A snake slithered it's way into Adam & Eve's life and took everything precious that God had created.  It was gone.  With one small bite.  Perfection was lost.

I thought about that agony.  I thought about how I would feel in that situation.  How I was feeling in my own present situation.  And I wondered to myself, how would God deal with this situation? And as I wondered about it and thought about how God dealt with sin entering into His perfect creation, I realized that God did not wallow in self pity.  God did not become angry and destructive.  God did not close Himself off.  Instead, God created a way of redemption.  God created a way to fix the mess that had been made.  He went (and I mean no disrespect of God in saying this), He went with plan B.  We messed up and He provided away out.

As I thought about that fact, and I thought about the negative feelings swirling around in my heart, the words GIVE IT UP SHARON resounded in my head.  STOP THIS already!  Sure you had your feelings hurt.  You were crushed. . . but give it up.  Shake yourself off and move on!  You have the choice to sit here and wallow in your self pity, or you have the choice to brush yourself off and move on.  GIVE UP the "right" you feel to be angry.  GIVE UP the justification that you are feeling to close yourself off.  GIVE UP any negative responses to this and THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU!!!  Thank Him, that He provided a plan B for you.

So today, I sit here, still bruised. . . .still hurting. . . still crushed. . . . BUT I will give it up and not allow those things to define me.  I will not let that situation color the rest of my week.  I will not let it affect the relationships that I have with those around me.  Because if I do that, ultimately Satan has won yet again.  So today, I will look in the mirror and say to myself "Sharon GIVE IT UP! There is so much more out there than feeling negative."  And when I think of all the blessings God has given me, I cannot help but "give it up".  I cannot help but begin to let go of the anger.  Begin to give up the resentment.  Give up the right to retaliate.  I am giving up all those things to FOCUS ON GOD - what He has for me.  He has never failed me.  He has never given up on me.  He has never disappointed me.  So I will focus on that today.

As I sat and gave this to God this morning, the image of a blank easel came to my mind.  It was as if God was telling me, "Sharon, Give it up.  Today is a new day.  You have a blank canvas before you.  What are you going to do with it?  What beautiful masterpiece are you going to create for Me today?"
So today - I WILL give it up.  I will give it to God and let Him take over!!! Regardless of what happens around me, I will strive to be thankful for each and every blessing that God brings my way.  The other stuff - I will try to give it up!!!  Give it up. . . . and let God. . . . !!!!

Psalm 31:14   But I trusted in you, O LORD: I said, You are my God.