Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Don't Give Up and Don't Give In
Some of Andrew Jackson's boyhood friends just couldn't understand how he became a famous general and then the president of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never made it as far as Andrew did. One of Jackson's friends said, "Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the road from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match." Another friend responded, "How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn't they usually say three times and out?" "Sure, they were supposed to," the man replied, "but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat. Jim finally would get tired, and on the fourth try, Andy would throw him and be the winner. He just wouldn't quit."
No one could argue that Job's life wasn't filled with severe trials. He not only suffered the physical affliction of painful boils from head to foot but also lost his wealth and children. Then, to add insult to injury, his wife urged him to give up. In her estimation, life wasn't worth living. It was time to curse God and die. Though Job didn't understand why he was being afflicted, however, he did know he wasn't willing to quit.
People are always ready to encourage you to give up. "Life is too difficult," they say. "Life is not fair. It hurts too much." But such advice fails to take into account the omnipotent hand of God. Even though we may not understand why painful and discouraging events happen in our lives, we have the assurance that God has His reasons--good reasons.
Don't allow anyone to talk you into quitting. Even though your trials may throw you for a loss time after time, you can have the confidence that God is still in control. Don't quit. Trust Him and keep on going. A day is coming when you'll be glad you did.
When you give up on yourself, you give up on God.