Giving Up Is NOT An Option

“And she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.” – Genesis 30:23-24

Have you ever just wanted to kick yourself for giving up too soon on a goal? For example, you told yourself you didn't have time to go back to school and complete that degree, even though you were only a few credits away from graduating. Life happens. You had financial struggles, was caring for a sick loved one, or had kids, and you had to put your dreams on the back burner. So you gave up and told yourself that it was just too late for you.

In Genesis 35, Rachel died before reaching her promise. In Genesis 30, Rachel grieved over the fact that she couldn't have a child. Her sister, Leah, was fruitful, but Rachel was unable to conceive, which caused her a lot of heartache. But God finally blessed Rachel with a son, whom she named Joseph. After experiencing this miracle, she immediately spoke a prophetic word into her own life and said that she would have another son. She had faith that God could do it again.

However, Rachel made a mistake. She didn't have enough faith to put God completely first and stop worshipping idols, and it brought her down. In Genesis 31, she stole her father's idols from his house when she left with Jacob. When her father came looking for the idols, Jacob called for the death of the person who had stolen them, not knowing Rachel was the culprit. She did get pregnant again and began to go into labor…hard labor. Because of the intense labor pain brought on by her disobedience, she died in childbirth. She was so close to her destination, but she died. The baby was successfully delivered. The miracle still came, but Rachel couldn't enjoy the fruit of our labor.

Giving up is not an option, no matter how difficult the journey! You have amazing goals and dreams. Please do not let those dreams die. Please know that somebody is waiting on what is to come through you. They are waiting on a mentorship, a book, or a business that has to be birthed through you. So, pick those dreams back up, dust them off, and get back on track. You are much closer than you think.