How do we keep trying when things are hard? CQ Kids

Sometimes we want to be the BEST at everything - RIGHT AWAY! But we soon learn that to reach a goal takes practice, patience and determination. Do we ever give up quickly when we don’t seem to see any progress? Have we ever tried something once, felt bad because it didn’t turn out the way we expected and then quit? Let’s turn this negative type of attitude around!

Learning new things is hard and many obstacles can stand in the way of our goal. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we give up. Nobody was born playing the piano or scoring from the 3-point line. Hard work and a good attitude can help us get far! But it can take time to reach our goal. Don’t give up!

For example, in the Old Testament, God specifically told the Israelites not to be discouraged (see Deuteronomy 1:21) and to move forward into their new land. But they thought it would be too hard - even impossible. In Deuteronomy they said, (1:28, NLT) “Where can we go? …The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large with walls rising high into the sky.” They were discouraged and ready to give up.

Sometimes OUR problem may seem like “a town with large walls rising high into the sky”! But there is a wise saying: Experience is the best teacher. This means that trying our best and making mistakes is part of the learning process. But if we fail, an attitude of complaining, getting angry or giving up prevents us from learning how to work through our frustrations in a healthy way.

For example, let’s take a goal like learning about four people of the Bible. Rather than trying to do that all in one day, let's break that down into more