Have you ever noticed how easy it is to start something and how much harder it is to keep going?
Starting a Bible reading plan is exciting.
Starting a ministry is exciting.
Starting a business is exciting.
Starting a marriage is exciting.
There's something beautiful and wonderful about the beginning.
But somewhere along the way...
The excitement fades.
Life gets busy.
Prayers seem to go unanswered.
Discouragement creeps in.
And if we're not careful, we begin settling for just "enough."
Jusy Enough prayer.
Just Enough faith.
Just Enough obedience.
Just Enough surrender.
We'd probably never say those words out loud, But sometimes our lives do.
As I read 2 Kings 12–13 today, I couldn't help but notice that's exactly what was happening. A young king who started with a passion to rebuild God's house but didn't finish with the same excitement and trust in God. A nation that only seemed to cry out to God when life fell apart. And another king who struck the ground three times and decided that was enough.
I've been thinking about that all morning.
I've had seasons where I've done the very same thing. Not because God told me to stop.
But Because I got tired, I got discouraged. Waiting is hard and sometimes it's easier to settle than it is to keep believing.
Joash started so well. After years of neglect, he looked at the Temple and said, "We have to restore God's house." I love that. I love people who build. I love people who restore what has been broken. But somewhere along the journey, his dependence shifted. Instead of trusting the God whose house he restored, he eventually trusted political alliances and the treasures in the Temple to save him.
Then chapter 13 feels like history repeating itself. Israel wanders from God again, suffers because of it, cries out for help, and once again God responds with mercy. Over and over they failed Him. But Over and over He responded with compassion.
Then we get to Elisha's final moments. His last lesson. He tells King Jehoash to take the arrows and strike the ground. One. Two. Three.
Then he stops.
I've read that part over and over and I keep asking, Why? No one told him to stop. Maybe three felt like enough. Maybe he thought he understood the assignment. Maybe he didn't realize every strike represented another victory God wanted to give.
But this isn't really about arrows. It's about expectation and perseverance. It's about trusting God enough to keep going even when you don't completely understand what He's doing.
There have been times I've stopped praying before God was finished. Stopped believing before God was finished. Stopped expecting before God was finished. Not because He told me to stop But because I got tired. The older I get, the more I realize that following Jesus isn't usually hard because of one big decision.
It's hard because of a thousand little ones.
But I've watched God do too much in my own life to quit now. I've watched Him heal places in my own heart I thought would always hurt.
I've watched Him restore what I thought was lost. I've watched Him lead me down roads that made no sense until I looked back.
And every single time...
He's been faithful.
So I don't want to stop at three.
I don't want to settle for "good enough."
I don't want to become someone who starts passionately but slowly looses passion.
I want to keep striking. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep obeying. Not because I know what tomorrow holds but because I know the One who does.
Maybe today you're tired too. Maybe you've been striking the ground for what feels like forever.
Don't stop because you're discouraged.
Don't stop because you're waiting.
Don't stop because you haven't seen the answer yet.
Sometimes the greatest victories are waiting just beyond the place where we're tempted to quit.
Don't Quit!
Love Pastor Mandy
MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope
Daily reading 2 Kings 11-12
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