Recently I was introduced to a podcast created by former Navy Seals. Their mission is to inspire people with the never quit mindset they learned in the US Military. And let me tell you, it’s inspiring and incredibly motivating.

For those of you who follow along with me on a consistent basis, you know I’m a bit of a WW2 buff, I’m intrigued by all things military, and extremely passionate about honoring our troops, fallen soldiers, and veterans – so this podcast is right up my alley.

For the past few years I’ve been dealing with a situation that has been absolutely wrecking me emotionally time after time. In the past month though, I’ve decided to put my foot down. Sometimes you have to get to that point where you’re just done…it’s that determining moment when gumption and strength rise up within you that says, “I’m finally ready to quit wallowing. I’m finally ready move on”. So I made a decision to metaphorically step on the head of this thing and quit allowing my prior feelings to rare their ugly head at each opportunity.

How though? Because…easier said than done, am I right?

Something I’ve been really pondering on, even before listening to the above mentioned podcast, was how could I develop a solid headspace to where negative circumstances or words don’t affect me, offend me, dictate my life or determine my outcome?

Stuff happens in this life. We live in an imperfect world and people will rub you the wrong way, but the only person we can control is ourselves, and that’s good news really, because we can change ourselves (by God’s grace), but we can’t change others. We can’t control what they do or speak to us, but we can control what we allow to take up space in our mind.

Even harder is sometimes if/after we forgive or try to forgive (at least this is true with me) we keep rehearsing the past circumstances in our heads like a movie reel. It’s not even like you mean to, it just keeps popping up when something triggers it, continuing to dig up old bones and hurt that definitely belong six feet under. It’s as if the devil is kicking back because his thorn in the flesh for you doesn’t even have to do anything at that moment, you’re mentally destroying yourself.

That’s where the above mentioned podcast comes in. Gosh there are so many things I love about it that I don’t have time to explain today, but in light of this topic, it has taught me so much. I’ve learned that I need to get to a place where the only way someone or something can destroy me or crack me would be mentally, and mentally I will never quit. I will never quit pursuing my marriage. I will never quit pursuing God. I will never quit standing for what’s right, true, pure, noble and honorable. I will never quit my pursuit of joy and freedom. I will never quit waking up each day with a grateful heart. I will never again let other people’s junk affect my ability to be happy. I. Will. Never. Quit. No matter what is thrown my way.

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent” – Eleanor Roosevelt

The podcast I mentioned talked about this in regards to their seal training. After the first few days or week many quit. It wasn’t that they weren’t physically capable, but mentally they crumbled. “If I am this beat down and exhausted already, how could I possibly last six months like this” The drop outs looked so far ahead, got overwhelmed, and quit before they ever really got started. A good seal never quits, and they explained the key was to take things one inch at a time. For instance, “how can I get to the end of the week? or the end of the day” or “how can I make it to lunch during Hell Week?”. That thinking allows you to be a conqueror and to keep moving forward.

The Bible says so much about offense and guarding our hearts and minds and how to keep running our race (even when things are hard), keep fighting the good fight of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, to take captive negative thoughts or words that come at us that are contrary to God’s word. It goes on and on! The point is, we are not defenseless!

For a little while, I began to believe the lie that God was against me in this particular situation…that I just needed to cave and pretend like nothing was happening and ignore it. (That ate me up and made me a little mad because it seemed fake and honestly it hurt my trust with God a little.) Isn’t that a lie from the pit of hell though…A) God says He will never leave me nor forsake me and that He is for me, not against me B) That lie was trying to tell me to quit (hello?! no!) and finally, C) that lie was trying to keep me from the safest shelter and peace this world has to offer and my power source, my relationship with God. …Hence, my need to metaphorically step on the head of the snake. Metaphorically putting Satan back under my feet where he belongs.

I’ve been making a point when those memories or thoughts try to creep back in to say “nope you’re not going to beat me” and choose to remember a promise God has spoken over my life…that I am secure. I am loved. I am whole. I am joyful. I am peaceful. Nothing that steal that.

This is just a journey I’m on – it’s not the end all be all and it’s 100% a process I’m in the middle of, not an instant fix. There may be some tough days or situations ahead, but now that I remember my place in this kingdom, any future situations or negative words spoken to me are rendered powerless over me. They are no match for the mighty God and His armies that surround me.

It reminds me of Elisha’s servant, Lord give me eyes to see. If you haven’t read that story, you really should. It’s in 2 Kings 6. The basis is, at that time the Syrian king was trying to go to war against Israel. His mighty battle plans kept failing though because God was revealing those plans divinely to Elisha, the prophet of that time, to help protect Israel. The king at first thought there was a traitor in his midst, but it was revealed to him that God was showing Elisha and spoiling his plans. So, he sent a great army to surround Elisha’s house. Now, if there is ever a time you’d want to crumble mentally…this would probably be it and Elisha’s servant…well he was crumbling, to put it mildly.

BUT, Elisha had fixed his mind on the Lord and was able to see God’s reality above his physical circumstance of what looked impossible. He prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes. When He did, the servant looked and saw the mountain and the area road about Elisha was full of the Lord’s horses and chariots of fire. They ended up leading the whole Syrian army captive. They had never been alone or defenseless, but if Elisha would’ve allowed what he saw physically to overtake his emotions, he may have cracked and disregarded and missed the solution that was right behind him, standing ready for the go-ahead.

Now that…is a never quit mindset. Powerful stuff.