When You Feel Like Giving Up: What If God Isn’t Done Yet?
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Let’s be honest. Being a teen can be equal parts exciting and frustrating, especially when it comes to going after something you really want.
Maybe you tried out for the team and didn’t make it.
Maybe you wanted a part in the musical, a leadership position, a spot in a group, or an opportunity you were sure was going to work out.
And then it didn’t.
To make it worse, sometimes you have to watch someone else get the exact thing you wanted. Your friend makes the team. Someone else gets chosen. The girl who barely seemed to try gets the opportunity you worked so hard for.
Meanwhile, you’re sitting on the sidelines wondering, What is wrong with me?
In that moment, quitting can feel like the easiest answer.
But before you decide you’re done, there’s another question worth asking:
What if this disappointment isn’t the end of the story?
When You Feel Like Giving Up, Wait
Just because something didn’t turn out the way you planned doesn’t automatically mean you’re supposed to walk away.
Sometimes you need to wait, pray, and give God a chance to show you what comes next.
That matters when life doesn’t make sense. You can see one moment. God can see the entire road.
So before you quit, think about why you wanted this in the first place.
What pulled you toward it?
Did you feel excited about learning or growing in this area?
Did you feel like God might be leading you toward it?
If so, one disappointment may not be a reason to give up. It may simply mean the journey looks different than you expected.
Maybe God Is Developing Something in You
We tend to focus on the outcome.
Did I make it?
Did I win?
Did I get picked?
Am I good at it yet?
God may be paying attention to something much deeper.
That perseverance could matter long after you’ve forgotten about the thing you originally wanted.
What If You’re Not Naturally the Best?
Let’s say you decide you want to learn to play guitar.
Then you discover there’s another girl who can practically pick up a guitar and play a song after hearing it twice.
Meanwhile, your fingers won’t cooperate, the chords sound weird, and singing while playing feels nearly impossible.
When you feel like giving up it would be pretty easy to decide: She’s talented. I’m not.
But her ability has absolutely nothing to do with what God might be doing in your life.
Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly worked through people who didn’t seem like the obvious choice.
Moses worried that he wasn’t a good speaker (Exodus 4:10–12). David was the youngest brother and wasn’t even initially brought forward when Samuel came looking for Israel’s future king (1 Samuel 16:10–13). The disciples Jesus chose weren’t a collection of impressive religious celebrities. They were ordinary people who learned to follow Him.
God is not limited by who seems the most naturally talented.
What if learning guitar becomes a place where you learn perseverance?
What if you learn to connect with the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help you when you’re frustrated?
What if playing becomes the way you unwind after a hard day, talk to God, strum some chords, and sing completely off-key?
And somewhere along the way, you actually start loving it.
My guess is that once the pressure to prove yourself starts disappearing, you might grow in ways you never expected.
Not because you suddenly became the best. Because you stopped making being the best the point.
Being the Best Isn’t the Same as Being Where God Wants You
Our culture loves being first.
Most followers. Best athlete. Lead role. Highest score. Most talented. Most attention.
But none of those things automatically mean someone is living the life God has for them.
Jesus asked a pretty powerful question in Mark 8:36: What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?
You can get the thing you desperately wanted and still discover that it doesn’t give you the life you thought it would.
That’s why the goal isn’t simply:
How do I get what I want?
A better question is:
How do I pursue this with God?
Three Ways to Pursue a Goal With God
1. Invite God into it.
Instead of asking God only to help you succeed, ask Him to show you what He has for you in the experience.
Try praying, God, if You have something for me here, help me see it.
2. Surrender the result.
This one can be hard.
You can work hard, practice, prepare, show up, and still trust God with what happens.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
That doesn’t mean everything will happen exactly the way you want. It means God can still work through what happens.
3. Keep checking your heart.
Ask yourself:
Why do I want this so badly?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to succeed. But sometimes other motives quietly sneak in.
Maybe you want to beat someone else.
Maybe you want people to notice you.
Maybe you want to prove something.
Maybe you want to feel important.
And if you realize your motives have gotten off track, you don’t need to freak out.
Talk to God about it.
He can change your heart.
But What If God Is Actually Leading You Away From It?
Sometimes the answer isn’t keep going.
Sometimes you wanted something for reasons that had very little to do with where God was leading you.
Maybe you only wanted to win because you wanted to beat your friend.
Maybe you joined something because a guy you liked was there, even though you don’t actually enjoy it.
Maybe everyone else was doing it, so you jumped in too. Now it’s creating stress and chaos in your life.
Following the crowd can take you places you never actually chose for yourself. Romans 12:2 warns us not to simply conform to the patterns around us, but to allow God to transform the way we think so we can recognize His will.
If you realize you’ve gotten involved in something that may not be right for you, you don’t have to make a dramatic exit tomorrow.
Slow down.
Pray.
Think about your responsibilities.
If you committed to a team, club, or group, there may be times when the right thing is to finish your commitment before stepping away. Colossians 3:23 encourages us to do our work wholeheartedly as something we are doing for the Lord.
God can help you finish well and then move in a different direction.
If You’re in This Moment Right Now
Maybe you didn’t make the team. You didn’t get picked. Someone else got the opportunity you wanted. Or you’ve been working at something for a long time and you’re tired of feeling like you’re getting nowhere.
You don’t have to decide today that you’re done.
Give yourself some time. Talk to Jesus about what happened. Let yourself be disappointed without allowing disappointment to make the decision for you. Then ask
God one simple question: “What do You want me to do next?”
Your Disappointment Doesn’t Get the Final Word
Here’s what I hope you remember the next time you feel like giving up:
Not getting what you wanted doesn’t automatically mean you failed.
Maybe God is asking you to keep going.
Maybe He’s developing perseverance in you.
Maybe He’s changing your motives.
Maybe He’s teaching you to enjoy something without needing to be the best.
Or maybe He’s gently showing you that it’s time to head in a different direction.
You don’t have to know which one it is immediately. Invite Jesus into the journey.
Ask Him to help you keep your heart in check, your motives on track, and your eyes open to where He is leading.
Then take the next step with Him.
Because sometimes what feels like the moment you should give up is actually the moment God begins showing you what the journey was really about.
Think About It
What is something you’ve wanted to quit because it hasn’t gone the way you hoped?
Why did you want it in the first place? Do you still feel like God may be leading you toward it?
Are you comparing your progress to someone else’s success? How is that affecting the way you see yourself or your goal?
What could God be developing in you through the struggle, even if you don’t get the outcome you want?
Take a minute to pray: “Jesus, help me know whether You’re asking me to keep going, change my heart, or move in a different direction. Show me my next step.”
Want more help growing your faith in real life?
Find more Teen Life articles, Bible studies, and encouragement from Chicks Ministry.
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