Quittin' Time or Grittin' Time: Four Good Reasons to Quit

John Bunyan wrote the Christian classic book Pilgrim’s Progress while imprisoned for twelve years. It’s a good read - thought-provoking, entertaining, and unusual. Many people are unaware that Bunyan could have been released from prison if he had simply agreed to stop preaching the Gospel. He had a wife who needed him. He had children who were without him. One of his daughters was blind. Yet rather than choosing to stop preaching and return to his family, he opted - incredibly! - to stay twelve years in prison.

The decision to stay in prison year after year must have been agonizing. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for Bunyan to weigh the options between his family and preaching the Gospel. How do you weigh the pros and cons between your love for your wife and children against the hardships of prison? How do you weigh the eternal value of the Gospel against the immediate cost to your family? How he must have wrestled with himself! How he must have wrestled with God!

Bunyan wrote about the difficulty of that choice. It is a lose-lose situation. But he reveals some profound wisdom that applies to us today. He explains that when Christians have to choose between facing hardships for the sake of the Gospel or escaping hardships because it seems just as wise and Christian to do so, there is not always a clear-cut principle to follow. Listen to his words:

“He that flees from danger has a warrant to do so; he that stands has a warrant to do so. Yay, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be. There are few rules in this case. The man himself is best able to judge concerning his present strength and what weight this or that argument has upon his heart to stand or fly.”

We like decisions that are clear, definitive, right, and wrong. But some of the most challenging choices people have to make are between two options that seem right, principled and noble. When the consequences of both choices seem like they will be good for us and our families and businesses, it is hard to know what to do. And when the consequences of both choices seem like a lose-lose set of options, it can be even more agonizing.

You may be facing something like that in your life. On a lesser scale. Maybe even on a grander scale. Sometimes, the right choice is to quit, cut your losses, and get out as quickly as possible. Sometimes, the right choice is to have some grit and forge ahead, staying in the thick of the struggle and trusting God to work it out.

So, here’s the question. When do you quit, and when do you grit? I want to share with you four good reasons to quit. In the next blog, I will look at reasons to grit and give you some practical ways to do so. These reasons are not an exhaustive list. But they represent a good place to begin when you must work through tough choices.

Four good reasons to quit:

 1- If you know you are out of God’s will, it’s a good reason to quit.

For people who fear the Lord and serve Him, there is nothing more comforting, empowering, or encouraging than knowing that what you are doing is in line with the will of God for your life. When you are doing your work, running your business, leading your family, and using your gifts in response to God’s direction, it helps you weather the tough times. It also makes it easier to make sacrifices when you know you are right where God wants you. But it is time to bail when it becomes clear that continuing on a course of action is contrary to God’s leading.

Many people think that discovering God’s will is difficult. How do we hear God clearly? And how do we know when we’ve made the right decision? I think that question comes with a wrong assumption. We don’t know the will of God because we are good at discovering it or listening to Him. We know the will of God because God is an excellent communicator! He knows how to make his will clear to those who ask him. God can communicate directly to our hearts. He can confirm His will through people with whom we are in relationship. He can communicate through circumstances, closing doors to one option to guide us to another. He can also give us simple wisdom and common sense so we can make a well-informed, wise decision ourselves.

When God’s communication through these channels indicates it’s time for you to quit, do it.

2 - If you know staying in a situation is against your core values, it’s a good reason to quit.

All of us have, at one time or another, found ourselves in a position contrary to our core values. Such positions can occur gradually, like when small decisions over time result in a different direction than we intended. Sometimes, external circumstances change, and a role or responsibility is no longer in line with our values. For example, our company may suddenly adopt priorities that conflict with our core values.

In such cases, we mustn't allow our pride or fear to keep us from deciding to walk away. Realizing you’re in the wrong is not a fun experience. But staying in the wrong, even after seeing the right choice, is more than unpleasant. It is foolish. If you know your core values conflict with staying, quit.

3 - If stepping back from a position, a place, a role, or a responsibility represents an adjustment or a course correction toward a major goal, it’s a good reason to quit.

Wise people have clear goals, both long-term and short-term. They utilize their businesses, talents, skills, and opportunities to move toward those goals. Sometimes, it becomes evident that the path you are on does not align with the goal you are reaching for. Quitting does not always mean you give up and throw in the towel. Quitting is sometimes a course correction for bigger goals. If you recognize that a major goal is at stake, continuing where you are and as you are is a good decision to quit.

4 - If you can decide with input from and response to wise counsel, it’s a good reason to quit.

I have often talked about the importance of mentors, leaders, and wise counselors. The quality of the people who mentor me represents the quality of wisdom I have access to. You need wise counselors and mentors in your life.

When you are facing quitting, talk to your mentors and leaders. Listen to them as they help you think through your choices, motivations, and the potential consequences of quitting or staying. If their input reinforces that the decision is right, then quit.

So, is it quittin’ time or grittin’ time?