When Quitters Win

Recently it occurred to me that I have never been alone for an extended period of time—not even for a full day. As an introvert, this realization startled me. So of course I should apply for a writing grant to explore this surprising situation and resolve it. I could spend some time alone to discover if that would kindle creativity, bore me silly, or cause me to lose my mind.

I selected the city and hotel; I determined that the experiment would last three days, Lord willing. I even began to plan menus, to pick which projects I would tackle, to consider how I would handle various scenarios if they came up.

But as I studied the grant guidelines, I began to have some serious doubts. After all, four years ago I had applied for something similar and lost; should I invest time in something so iffy?

Often we can learn from the closed doors in our lives. I had poured a lot of effort into that 2020 project; I had no desire to repeat the experience. That disappointment has helped me to spot red flags suggesting that there is little hope the judges will value my simple idea. Now I know when to quit before I even start. 

Sometimes quitting is the best approach; we should quit bad habits, for example. Besides that, deciding to leave one door closed can help us notice another one that the Lord has opened for us. That is one wonderful way quitters can win.