“Something’s got to give.” We’ve all said it. We’ve all felt it. We’ve all been in the place where life feels too hard and feels like too much. If you haven’t felt this, you probably haven’t been leading long.

     So what do you do when life and leadership feels like too much? What do you do when everything that can go wrong feels like it’s going wrong? What do you do when something’s got to give? 

     When something’s got to give, don’t give up!

     You may feel pressed down and overwhelmed right now, but you’re best days are still in front of you. Don’t give up! You’re not alone. Many youth workers have felt this way before and many more will feel this way again. God is not done with you yet!

     When it feels like something’s got to give, give these four things a try. If you do, I believe they will help get you through it!

4 Things to Do When Something’s Got to Give

1) Pray Hard

“In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.”

Psalm 34:6

When something’s got to give, it’s time to pray. And not just pray, but pray hard! None of us like to go through hard times in life. However, it’s in the most difficult times of life where God often shows up in the most powerful ways. 

[ctt template=”3″ link=”bg3TK” via=”yes” ]It’s in the most difficult times of life where God often shows up in the most powerful ways. @ym__lead[/ctt]

We reach the end of ourselves when life gets too tough for us to navigate on our own. It’s in these moments where we are most apt to pray in desperation like in the verse above. It’s in times of desperation that we turn to God most. When we are desperate for God to move is when he moves most powerfully!

When something’s got to give, pray hard. Don’t pass go, don’t collect $200, and don’t binge watch Netflix while crying yourself to sleep! Turn your heart and prayers to God. Draw near to Him and let Him draw near to you. 

When something’s got to give, give your worries to God and let Him give His blessing to you!

2) Press On

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Philippians 3:12

All leaders face tough times, and all leaders will feel like giving up at some point. Not all leaders make it through these tough times though. Many won’t reach their goals and God given dreams. Why? Because not all leaders press on.

When Paul wrote the verse above, he wasn’t living the dream and leading easy. He was actually in prison and enduring one of the most difficult seasons of his life! He hadn’t reached his goals, nor was he living the dream. Never the less, he pressed on and worked through it.

Great leaders press on even in the most difficult times. I believe many people give up when they’re only inches away from their dreams! It often hurts most when we are closest to our dreams. Don’t give up short of the dream God has given you.

When something’s got to give, don’t give up, but press on.

3) Praise God

“Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth.” 

Isaiah 12:5

When life gets difficult, it’s easy for our perspective to get locked in on what’s going wrong. This causes us to only see the negative, and by extension get stuck in a cycle of negativity. The key to breaking this cycle is to change our perspective.

Praising God changes our perspective. It’s the most powerful things we can do when life gets heavy. Praising God in tough times takes our focus off of our problems and puts it on God’s provision.

When something’s got to give, praise God for two things. First, praise Him for what He’s done. Praise Him for his past work in your life and believe he will do it again!

Second, praise God for what you believe he will do. If He’s come through for you before, He will come through for you again. Instead of focusing on the obstacles in front of you, praise God for how you believe He will deliver you!

Remember how he came through for you last time and then speak in faith what he will do for you now. When something’s got to give, give praise to God for what He’s done and what He will do in your life!

4) Pull Others In

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2

When life get’s hard, don’t live it on your own! Pull other people in and let them walk with you. Ask them to pray for you, walk with you, and encourage you. When life is tough is no time to do life alone!

We were not meant to do life alone. It gets to heavy that way, and your shoulders aren’t broad enough to carry the weight on your own. The good news is you don’t have to shoulder it alone.

When something’s got to give, pull other people into your life to lift you up! Don’t go to battle alone, but share your struggle with people you trust and let them fight with you. Leadership is hard, but great leaders don’t lead alone!

     If you’re going through a tough season, know you’re not alone and we are praying with you. Don’t give up. Press into God, press into His people, and press into His plan.

     When something’s got to give, don’t give up. Pray hard, press on, praise God, and pull others in. God is not done with you, He is just getting started!