.....quit

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away Ecclesiastes 3:1,6

There was a retired man who played solo rounds of golf nearly every afternoon. Every day, he would return to the clubhouse, and the golf pro would ask him, “How’d you shoot today, Ed?” “Another perfect par,” Ed would always say with a grin.

The pro was doubtful — no one shoots par every day — but he didn’t want to challenge a loyal customer. So, one day, he decided to join Ed for a round. From the start, Ed’s game was rough — sliced drives, missed putts, and long holes. Then, on the 13th hole, Ed finally hit a clean shot straight down the fairway. He walked to his ball, picked it up, and headed back to the clubhouse. “Wait,” said the stunned pro. “That was your best shot yet!”

Ed smiled. “That was shot number 72. Another perfect par!”

He knew when to quit!

Sometimes, quitting isn’t about giving up — it’s about letting go of the illusion that we have to keep pushing just to prove something. Relationships, jobs, habits, even ministry efforts — sometimes we’re holding on to something long past its season. Because quitting feels like failure, and failure feels like weakness.

But Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is “a time to give up.” Life has God-ordained rhythms, and it takes maturity to recognize when a season has ended. Knowing when to stop and trust God with the next step is an act of faith. Even Jesus walked away from some situations. Not because he gave up, but because he knew when it was time to move on.

We need to understand that faithfulness doesn’t always mean holding on. Sometimes it means stepping back. We’re not called to do everything forever — we’re called to follow God's lead, even if that means closing a door we once thought we'd walk through forever.

- alan smith

Father, give me the wisdom to know when to persevere and when to let go. Help me to not confuse quitting with failure, but to see it as obedience when you’re leading me in a new direction. Teach me to trust you in the letting go as much as in the holding on. In Jesus’ name, amen.