I have a love/hate relationship with working out – I always have. I love how I feel when I am in the middle of working out; my endorphins get moving, happiness gets released, I feel powerful. And then this moment comes when I feel like a 200 pound gorilla jumps on my back or on my chest and the joy and pleasure of my workout runs away. When the fun of working out leaves, the thought and temptation of quitting enters in. Sometimes I start out thinking I am going to run for 30 minutes and at about 12-14 minutes the joy of running escapes and I start compromising in my own head – well maybe I’ll just go 25, maybe 20, maybe 20 including my warm down time. But due to my stubbornness and refusal to fail, I push on and at about the 17-18 minute mark, a renewed sense of strength and power return. I feel more successful, stronger, and more ready to finish the workout strong.
Many of us hit moments in our lives where the 200 pound gorilla jumps on our backs, things get hard, and we start to entertain the idea of giving up. It may be when the class project is just over half done. It may be when a relationship that you value has a conflict and it feels impossible. It may be when you feel called to do something in your life and you start hopeful, but the lack of encouragement and support cause you to reconsider. It may be when you begin your relationship or search of Jesus and then things get difficult, confusing, and challenging and you start to process thoughts like it should have been easier, that if God is all powerful and all knowing, why do bad things happen, if God really loved us, wouldn’t life be easier? We hit moments in life where we sincerely are met with the choice of whether to give up or not.
I believe that the best things in life are on the other side of the 200 pound gorilla. I have learned over and over in my life that the win and joy on the other side of the gorilla is worth the fight through it. Recently I have begun to get hopeful when the 200 pound gorilla shows up, because I know there is a big win on the other side and it inspires me to dig in and try harder. I believe that to achieve any big win in life we must embrace the 200 pound gorilla moment and remember to never give up.
Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” I believe that God has a great plan for our lives and that the enemy sends in 200 pound gorillas to discourage and frustrate us. And I also believe that God has an incredible ending to our stories if we do not give up and keep going. God promises an amazing finality to the plans He has for our lives, if we will not let weariness and difficulty rule our day, but instead if we will stay faithful and just keep moving.
Keys to Not Giving Up
- Identify your mission/goal – tell someone about it
- Call out the 200 pound gorilla – ask someone to help you with it (not to remove it)
- Celebrate the expulsion of the gorilla and or mission/goal – celebrate with people
- Repeat