"I'm not doing this anymore."
"You can find someone else to take care of this!"
We've all been there. We have either been so stressed, frustrated or both and we just wanted to scream at the top of our lungs the old song title, "Take this job and shove it!" Perhaps quitting is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it is done with a lot of prayer, preparation and in a loving a graceful way. But, for those of you (and me!) who have been frustrated enough to say it, without meaning it, here are 5 reasons you might want to rethink letting those words leave your mouth.
5) People Resent It
Depending on how close you are with someone, and whether or not that person is your boss, you may be able to get away with it once or twice. But eventually, those working with you are going to resent your continued threats. You may not mean it. You may simply be venting, but eventually those you continue to threaten with this, will grow weary of hearing you complain. Be a fixer, not a griper. Don't be that person who gives off the appearance of one who throws in the towel when things get tough. If you're not a quitter, don't make yourself sound like one.
4) Others Aren't Doing It
Those people you keep saying this to are struggling as well. No one is always happy with their job. No one is always happy in their volunteer situation. Face it, no one is always happy, period. However, for those that hear you "quit" every time things get tough, they might be growing tired of hearing it because while they feel the same way at times, they are working to overcome that feeling. If you're not careful, someone might tell you to either "grow up" or "go ahead and quit."
3) It is the Wrong Response
If you are a Christian, you are by definition, an overcomer. You are one who rises up on the wings of eagles. You stand tall above the mountains and you face those giants with nothing more than a sling and a stone. Because of Christ in you, there is nothing that can defeat you permanently. Not even your difficult circumstances. However, if quitting is always your first response (even if you don't really mean it when you say it) it takes the place of where your thoughts should be, and that is on the way Jesus would handle it. Getting mad, frustrated, or upset are normal and often times righteous emotions. Threatening to take your ball and go home because you didn't get your way, is not. If you continue to do this, you might need to invest in a "crying room," that is, if you are not on a campus that offers them already.
2) It is Childish
As an ambassador of Christ, we are called to react to struggles with faith and courage. Paul clearly told us that we are not to act like children, because we are maturing Christians who must live out our faith in Christ every day. If others are watching your example and you threaten to jump ship when things get tough or your feelings get hurt, what kind of example are you setting?
1) It's Manipulative
I often wonder if we, as Christians, realize how many times we are being manipulative when we want to get our way. This is a sobering thought, but any time we try to influence someone else by using guilt, threats, etc we are lowering ourselves to the tactics of the enemy. We cannot do that if we are ambassadors of Jesus.
I have struggled with this in my years and if you are struggling, it's time to make a change! What are some reasons you have for not making idle threats?
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