Following through on my commitments has not always been my strong suit. Indeed, the list of things that I have quit in my life is probably too numerous to count. Or, with my lagging memory, to remember.

I have often allowed my feelings to get the best of me. My good intentions have flown out the window when I have felt the sting of rejection or simply boredom.

As Nicki Koziarz states in her new book, 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit,

“Momentary feelings will always try to convince us to forfeit our faithfulness.”

Whenever my feelings changed, I allowed them to lead me, rather than my controlling them. I retreated from rejection or raged at changes.  And in more cases than I would care to admit, I followed my emotions and simply quit.

Something began to shift in me recently as I began to read the Bible during an intense period of crisis that seemed to go on and on. I didn’t realize it at first, but something was happening in me.

When the crisis reached a high point emotionally, I suddenly became calm. Shock? Perhaps that was part of it. In the past I would have immediately walked out the door or done something stupid. This time, though, I was able to talk things over.

And I stayed.

Do I have any illusion that this was me? Nope, I sure don’t. It was all God and relying on His Word. Because if it were up to me, I would have been out the door with the first shocking revelation.

Koziarz goes on to say in her book:

“There is something to be said about a woman who follows through with her commitments, despite how she feels. There’s strength, honor, and God’s glory on the other side of remaining steadfast.”

Some days it is a daily, hourly, or even a minute-to-minute struggle to stand firm. I’m still a quitter at heart. I often falter, but I get back up and dust myself off. But with God’s help, I can follow through on my commitments.