When You Want to Give Up: Beating Financial Stress with a Little Faith and Persistence
By Crystal Paine
I flung myself into a heap on the floor in our little basement apartment.
“What am I supposed to do, God?” I cried aloud. “I’m so thankful for this baby, but I’m so sick with this pregnancy. And being so sick means I can’t work. How are we going to survive?”
I felt helpless and at the end of my rope. My morning-noon-and-night sickness had hung on for weeks, keeping me from working at the part-time jobs I had before I got pregnant.
While my husband was in law school, those part-time jobs were keeping us afloat. Combining both of our incomes, we were already barely making it. With the absence of my income, our finances suffered a huge blow – and so did my faith.
I’d always believed that God would provide, but it’s easy to believe that when things are going well and your income is steady. It’s a whole lot harder to believe that when you have bills piling up, and your income is dwindling.
As I was crying out to God for help and provision that day so many years ago, I realized that sitting there sulking wouldn’t change my situation. I needed to get up and put feet to my faith.
So, I stopped focusing on what I couldn’t do and started throwing myself into what I could do. Maybe I wasn’t feeling well enough to get up and go to work at my part-time jobs, but I could definitely lie on the couch and research everything I could find about earning money from home.
And that’s exactly what I did. It helped to keep my mind off the pregnancy sickness, and it gave me a sense of purpose.
After scouring the Internet for every possible idea and joining online groups discussing home businesses, I landed upon a few ideas that I thought would work for me. It was really slow going at first, and there were days when I felt like I’d never be able to figure out how to successfully earn money from home.
But I didn’t give up – I couldn’t, because I knew that giving up would be giving into despair. Well, that and the fact that we needed to eat and have a roof over our heads!
Many years of trial and error later, I have a flourishing online business and a great team of people who work for me. Back when I was in those first few months of my first pregnancy, I could have never envisioned I’d be where I am today. I’m so thankful I didn’t give up – even when I failed, even when my business ideas didn’t pan out like I’d hoped, and even when it seemed like I was just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.
Success isn’t easy and things don’t often end up like you imagine, but I promise that there will be rewards if you keep plodding along. So, keep holding onto hope when you feel helpless, keep clinging to the promises of God, and keep going even when you want to give up!
Crystal Paine is a wife, mom of three, and author of The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget. Visit her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, for practical ideas and inspiration to get your life and finances in order.
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Becky
September 11, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Just the title sent a ray of encouragement. I was feeling very depressed today as we continue to raise support to go to Brazil for 3 years. While other missionary friends are (gloating)-not really, but it felt that way- over how they raised $500/month more in just one month, I felt like Hannah (Samuel’s mom) who was childless and made fun of. Even though the situation is hard, focusing away from the “can’t” to the “can” makes a difference.
Trixie
September 12, 2012 at 8:49 am
Hi Becky,
Would you please email me? I would love to learn more about your mission work. Trixiewood at global.net
Julie Morris
September 11, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Thank you for sharing!!!!!! I’m not missing what’s ahead, just because it’s tough today!
No giving up, no backing down. Thanks, Crystal 
Debbie
September 12, 2012 at 11:01 am
What a great post. Thank you for sharing the brokenness and the difficulty – and for reminding us that God is way bigger than our bills. I needed this today!
Julie
September 12, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for the reminder of how good our God is. I am struggling with grief (loss of my mother)and moving to a new city with no friends yet. I am waiting for God to show me His perfect will. I don’t want to miss it. I want out of this gloominess so bad. Thank you for sharing your heart. It made a difference for me.
Heather
September 13, 2012 at 1:28 pm
Thank you so much for this post. I am almost 11 weeks pregnant and have been very ill and fatigued since the very beginning, and it’s been very depressing – I like you am so thankful for this pregnancy, but have been feeling like I’m at the end of my rope. Thank you for giving me hope!
Vicki
September 13, 2012 at 3:36 pm
My husband is in grad. school, I am a stay at home mom who homeschools 7 children. Talk about trusting the Lord for things!!! I think that is what God wants me to learn through this whole process. TRUST in Him. I have many stories already of how He has provided in our greatest time of need. When thoughts of “how in the world?” I just say over and over “I trust you God, I trust you God.” He is amazing and I know that he loves me and my family.
Connie Mick
December 8, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I am a 47 year old daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother and college graduate. Even with my education and experience when I moved back closer to my mother I wasn’t able to get a job in my field of work. I had to change and get more education to sell insurance. I am still working on the education part and nervous about testing for the licensing exam. I almost lost my husband to an affair, that I found out about and we are now working to save our marriage. However, I still have doubts and I am just so worried about his love for me and his faithfulness. I keep checking his emails and phone. I just don’t have the trust anymore and I know it’s hard on our relationship, as well. I need your prayers! Please!