When it Feels Like a Lost Cause

“It’s a lost cause,” I thought to myself as I looked out the window.

Having been neglected for two years, my once beautiful vegetable garden was now a tangled mess of ankle-deep grasses, weeds, and thorns. Every time I looked at it, all I could see was my own failure. What used to be a place of bountiful harvest held only feelings of regret and overwhelm.  Hours of hard work would be required to dig out of the mess and make the ground fertile again. 

It would be easier to ignore the problem, let nature win, and admit defeat.

Have you ever felt this way about a problem? 

Whether created by our own neglect or circumstances beyond our control, problems in life can feel like a lost cause. It may often feel easier to ignore the issue and move on. However, when we find ourselves in these circumstances, maybe instead we could choose to call in reinforcements and face the problem with a new perspective. 

This is exactly what I did with my garden. 

My children, armed with weedwhackers, shovels, and wheelbarrows, came alongside me to dig my garden out of the mess. After merely an hour of work, we could finally see the raised beds and fresh soil where tomatoes and cabbage would grow again. While the garden may not be ready to hold fall vegetables this year, I now see the potential for hope and future growth.  

While what you are facing may be bigger than a gardening problem, you still have a choice to choose a perspective of hope and accept help from your community of support. Of course, you may first have to be vulnerable and admit your feelings of overwhelm.  

When I’m struggling with feelings of defeat, I first sit and confess my feelings to God. With journal in hand, I pray and ask God to comfort me and show me how to move forward.  

After my time with the Lord, I often go to my closest sisters in Christ and admit where I am struggling and seek prayer support and accountability. 

These two choices help my heart stay focused on hope.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11