Why it’s very easy to give up, especially when the going gets tough

Like a great athlete, or an amateur workshop wannabe, we need to invest enough time, energy and commitment to guarantee a satisfactory result, writes Chris Sparks.

To become better at something, one needs to persevere – push through physical and mental barriers and just stay the course.

“Practice makes perfect”.

It’s an old saying, but one that contains more than a grain of truth.

Like many others, I began taking piano lessons as a child. But practising was tedious. There were too many other more interesting things to do with my time. So, much to my parents’ dismay, I gave up. Fortunately, later in life I returned to the keyboard, and though I missed much of the early teaching and discipline needed to hone technique, leading to excellence and proficiency, I can now play tolerably well. And this is something that is a real joy in my life!

To become better at something, one needs to persevere – push through physical and mental barriers and just stay the course.

In the wake of the Tokyo Olympics, it’s very clear that while Olympic athletes seem to succeed with effortless grace, their stellar performances haven’t come easily. The average Olympian trains somewhere around 4 hours a day – every day – and accepts that it will take years in order to become really competitive.

How well an athlete performs is often attributed to mental toughness. But performance really depends on physical capacity to work hard too. That capacity is based on two factors - genetic talent and the quality of the training program. Good training makes up for some limitations, but most of us will never be Olympians no matter how hard we work. We haven‘t inherited the right combination of endurance, potential, speed and muscle. But given equal talent, the better-trained athlete can generally outperform the one who didn’t commit to serious effort.

Interestingly, there are references in scripture likening the Christian journey to preparing for, and running a race. The writer of the letter to the Hebrew church for instance says “strip down, start running – and never quit! Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished the race we’re in. He never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God.”

The problem is it’s very easy to give up; especially when the going gets tough. Obstacles in our way can just sap our energy. I know when I’m working in the shed and hit upon a problem that I just can’t seem to get my head around, I’ll maybe battle on for a while. But I’ll gradually become more and more frustrated – which in itself tends to work against resolving the issue. So I’ve learnt over the years to take a break – walk away – knowing that I’ll return later in a clearer frame of mind. When I do, the solution that had evaded me before seems to always come quickly, and a good result is assured. In this instance, it’s not so much a case of initially giving up, but of taking time out to refresh, before tackling the issue again. In the meantime, I’m thinking and reflecting on the problem and possible solutions.

All of this is a useful pointer to how we approach life. In the context of our spiritual growth, it can be quite helpful to understand how we progress difficult issues and learning processes.

Some people seem to give up on working with their relationships – especially with God. But like a great athlete – or an amateur workshop wannabe - we need to invest enough time, energy and commitment to guarantee a satisfactory result, without the temptation to give up altogether.

When we do, we’ll realise results that are out-of-this-world!