Maybe you've already tried. That's the part people don't really understand. They tell you not to give up as though you've been sitting around doing nothing. But you've prayed about it. You've tried different things. You've asked for help. You've started over. You've told yourself on more than one occasion, Okay, this time I'm really going to make this work.

Maybe you've sent application after application and you're tired of opening the “Thank you for your interest” emails. Maybe you've been trying to get out of debt, but every time you finally get a little breathing room, something else needs paying for. Maybe you've been working toward something for months, while people around you seem to be getting there much faster.

Or maybe you've been praying about the same thing for years. You've asked God for help, waited, prayed some more, and you're still in the same place. Lately, you find yourself wondering, What else am I supposed to do?

And now you're tired because you've tried so hard and nothing seems to be changing. Sometimes, hearing keep going doesn't encourage you anymore. It only reminds you how tired you are.

There was a woman who probably understood that exhaustion better than most.

By the time we meet her in Mark 5, she had been bleeding for twelve years. She had gone to doctor after doctor trying to get better. Mark 5:26 says she “had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had.” Yet “instead of getting better she grew worse.”

Imagine dealing with the same problem since 2015. Imagine trying different things, spending all you have trying to fix it, and approaching 2027 still not knowing whether that will finally be the year it ends.

That's the part we can easily miss when we read her story. We know how it ends. But for most of those twelve years, she didn't.

She didn't know that year twelve would be any different from year eleven. She didn't know that after all the doctors, all the money she had spent and all the times nothing worked, she would eventually meet Jesus.

Those twelve years had given her every reason to believe nothing would change, and no way of knowing what would happen next.

That's one of the most difficult things about going through life. You don't get to see what happens next.

You don't know whether the next application will finally be a yes. You don't know when the situation you've been praying about will change. You don't know whether all the work you're putting in will ever lead somewhere.

And when we've faced so many disappointing moments, it's easy to look at everything that hasn't worked and think, Why should this time be any different?

The woman in Mark 5 could have thought the same thing. After all, she had spent years trying to get better, and nothing had worked. But then she heard about Jesus. And after all those years of disappointment, she was willing to try one more time by going to Him.

Maybe the thought of keeping going feels overwhelming because you're thinking about how long you have to keep doing this.

Another month of applications. Another year trying to make the business work. Another season of praying about something that still hasn't changed.

But you don't need strength for all of that today. Maybe today you just need enough for one more.

Before you decide what one more looks like for you, talk to God. Tell Him you're tired. Tell Him how hard it has been to keep trying without seeing anything change. Then ask Him what your next step should be.

Maybe it's sending another application. Maybe it's asking someone more experienced to look at it first. Maybe something you've been trying isn't working and you need a different approach. Maybe you need to stop carrying something alone and let someone help you.

Because one more doesn't always mean doing the same thing one more time.

And maybe right now, you don't feel like you have another one more in you. That's okay. Ask God for enough for today. When tomorrow comes, you can ask Him again.

The woman in Mark 5 didn't wake up that morning knowing her life was about to change.

As far as she knew, it was just another day with the same problem she'd had for twelve years. Another day of living with something she had tried so hard to fix. Then she heard that Jesus was passing through.

That's the thing about tomorrow. You haven't lived it yet.

Maybe you've had more bad days than good ones lately. Maybe you've heard no so many times that you've stopped expecting a yes. Maybe nothing about your situation gives you a reason to believe things will be different.

But neither did yesterday.

And you're still here.

You don't know what tomorrow holds. So don't let a difficult today convince you that there is nothing left to hope for.

✝ Kingdom Mantra

Is there something you've been close to giving up on lately? What do you think one more would look like for you? I'd love for you to share your thoughts by leaving a comment online or replying to this email.

God bless you, and have a pleasant weekend. ❤️