Don't Quit in the DipSample

THE DIP

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? The place where people give up is what I call, “The Dip.” When you’re in the dip, you can see where you want to be, but no matter how hard you try, it seems you can’t get there. You begin to lose hope and doubt you’ll ever reach it. The dip is where your dream is just out of reach and you feel stuck. We all have a dream, but there is always a dip before you get there. Sadly, most people give up in the dip. But successful people don’t quit in the dip and they’re the ones who see their dream fulfilled. 

None of us have the perfectly filtered life we present on social media, right? Every person, even the ones who seem to have everything together, has at least one area in life that isn’t what they want it to be. It’s frustration. It’s hopelessness. It’s where anxiety and fear have crept in. It’s where giving up not only seems reasonable, it seems like your only option.

The dip can be your health. Maybe it’s your career. You know there’s more in you to express, but there seems to be some invisible ceiling keeping you from reaching your potential or landing that dream job. So, you lower your expectations and trade in your hi-def dream for a low-res version of reality.

What about your marriage? You’re giving your all, but things are not getting better and you’re even contemplating divorce. It could be that you’re single and looking for a spouse, but you just can’t find Mr. or Mrs. Right and you’re tempted to settle for Mr. or Mrs. Right Now instead.

The dip is also where you might stand, wondering, If God has a wonderful plan for my life, why is He so slow to reveal it? Does He even see me here in this place? It feels like you have one piece of a ten-thousand-piece puzzle and don’t know where to begin.

But let me encourage you. When we are ready to quit in the dip, we have a God who is just getting started! 

God doesn’t see as we see! 

We see impossible, but He sees possibility. We see financial ruin, but He sees a path to blessing. We see the diagnosis, but He sees the way to healing. God sees the end from the beginning, when all we see is our past and our present. We see a dip, but He sees another opportunity to show up and work through us and show us just how amazing He really is!

I’m praying we all begin to see from God’s perspective and use God’s strength to reawaken motivation when we’re tempted to throw in the towel.

Where have you given up? Where are you considering giving up?