May Musings: For Every Time You Think About Giving Up, Read This Instead

It’s 2026, and things are looking very different in our world right now. There’s much uncertainty, but there’s much promise. The world is not what it used to be, and you are not who you used to be.

Last month, I went to Emma Grede’s book launch, ‘Start With Yourself,” and she said something that rings true if we consider the book of Ecclesiastes. She said in reflection on the state of the world, “and as cliché as it may be, it’s always darkest before dawn.” She wasn’t wrong. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there are times and seasons for everything.

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,... Ecc 3: 3-5

Scripture also says, “ Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). These verses confirm that the seasons of your life have to change. From the ones deemed bad and the ones deemed good, change is inevitable. I really wanted to come here and say something chippy and positively motivating, but all I can truly offer is truth. And the truth is that for your life to grow and for things to evolve, seasons must change. A caterpillar doesn’t become a butterfly by remaining a caterpillar.

There will be a season in your life that will demand you to shed. There will also be a season that will dare you to break out of the cocoon, and another that will require you to fly free. The relevance of your story is shaped by the pivots you embrace, overcome, and the ones you choose to stand tall in.

I don’t know what season you may be in, but I would encourage you to search within yourself, look around, and gauge the temperature of the world. As the winds of life take you in various directions, you may question and wonder ‘Which way is the right way?’ But, similar to the premise of Emma Grede’s book and her story, regardless of the path you choose, you always start with yourself.

No matter the season, no matter the wind, you have to choose yourself because everything starts with you. The dominoes move when you tap them, the car goes in when you press the gas, the fire burns when you light the flame – your capacity to survive the changing seasons starts with you. It starts with you saying yes and with you refusing to give up. But the key to surviving and/or thriving through the seasons is: accepting the season for what it is.

For every time you think about giving up, use this month as a reference period to take stock of where you are, assess the hour of life this is for you, and start making choices on what kind of response you are going to give it. During the winter, you’d choose a puffer and a hat, but in spring, you’d go for a light coat, and in summer, well, there’s no need for it unless you’re like me and can’t take the AC, then you carry a little sweater. See, choices. When the seasons change, because they do in fact do, we are left to make choices that position us to manage the changes with ease and consideration. Here’s to seasons changing.

Thanks for reading Caught Up in Agape! Subscribe for free to join this growing community to receive new posts on building faith and confidence.