The Strength to Stay: Leading with Endurance When You Feel Like Quitting

Leadership can be quietly exhausting. You're doing all the right things—showing up, serving faithfully, leading with vision—yet still wondering if any of it makes a difference. That hidden weariness is exactly what we're tackling in this powerful episode centered around Galatians 6:9.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." These words from Paul acknowledge the reality of leadership fatigue while offering profound hope. What makes this verse particularly challenging is the phrase "at the proper time"—a frustrating reminder that God's timeline rarely matches our own. The harvest is coming, but on His schedule, not ours.

Through personal stories and practical wisdom, I share three leadership truths that have sustained me through seasons of doubt: First, faithful leaders continue sowing even when the soil feels dry. The most important work often happens underground, invisible to everyone including ourselves. Second, rest isn't quitting—leaders burn out not because they work hard, but because they work empty. Finally, look for sprouts rather than applause. Leadership growth shows up in tiny moments that remind us why we started in the first place.

Whether you're leading a ministry, running a business, managing a team, or raising a family, this episode offers the encouragement you need to keep going when quitting feels tempting. The harvest is already in motion, even when you can't see it yet. Ready to find renewed strength for your leadership journey? Listen now and discover how to stay faithful when the fruit isn't visible.

In this heartfelt episode, Danita invites leaders into an honest conversation about what it means to keep showing up, even when the results feel invisible. Inspired by Galatians 6:9, we reflect on the quiet but powerful endurance it takes to lead well and live faithfully.

Stay tuned for an upcoming conversation with Dr. Christie McMullen — bringing neuroscience and soul together to help sustain your leadership journey.

Scripture: Galatians 6:9
 Take the Leadership Clarity Quiz and book your free coaching call at www.danitacummins.com

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Episode Transcript

Danita (00:05):
Hey friends, welcome back to Entrusted to Lead the
podcast where we talk about whatit really looks like to lead
well, live fully and staygrounded in your calling.
I'm Denita Cummins and I'm soglad you're here today.
This month we're diving into atheme that's been on my heart
for a while the strength to stay.
It's based on Galatians 6, 9,which says let us not become

(00:26):
weary in doing good, for at theproper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.
Listen, I know what it feelslike to do all the right things,
to show up to serve well, tolead faithfully and to still
wonder is any of this making adifference?
If you've ever felt that kindof exhaustion the quiet kind

(00:46):
that doesn't make the highlightsreal then today's conversation
is for you.
So grab your cup of coffee anda cozy blanket and let's get
started.
Leadership can feel really heavysometimes, especially when
you're carrying vision andpeople and purpose all on your
shoulders all at the same time.

(01:08):
You have got a big mission, butthe strategy feels fuzzy and
your team is looking at you forclarity that you're not sure you
actually have.
I get it.
It's hard.
I'm Danita Cummins.
I help faith-driven leaderslike you find clarity, align
with your values and lead withconfidence, without burning out,
because that's never okay.

(01:28):
If you're ready to get unstuck,lead your team with courage and
to turn that God-given visioninto a strategy that really
works, I want us to talk.
Take the free leadershipclarity quiz that I've created
today and I want you to scheduleyour no-pressure coaching call,
because together we can uncoverwhat's holding you back and how
to move forward in faith andconfidence.

(01:55):
There's this moment that Iremember very clearly.
It was late, I was stillanswering emails, it was
probably like two o'clock in themorning.
I'm trying to keep my teamafloat, prepping for a board
meeting, and I'm wondering why Iwas even trying so hard.
I thought, lord, I am doingreally good things, I think, but
I am so tired and I don't evenknow if it's working.

(02:16):
Maybe you've been there too.
You're planting seeds, you'reshowing up for your family,
you're serving your clients,you're running your business,
you're leading your ministry,but nothing seems to be blooming
and it just keeps gettingheavier and heavier and heavier.
I don't think we talk enough inleadership about how we can feel

(02:37):
lonely and discouraged whenwe're sowing into people or
projects and we're not seeingimmediate fruit.
But Galatians reminds us thatthere is a promise in the
planting, even when we can't seeit, friend.
So today we're going to talkabout that promise.
Galatians 6.9 says don't growweary in doing good.

(02:57):
Why?
Because at the proper time wewill reap a harvest if we don't
give up.
I love that Paul acknowledgesthe weariness.
He's not saying hey, dude,don't feel tired.
He's saying don't let thattiredness take you out of the
fight.
And the phrase at the propertime.

(03:17):
Well, that's super frustratingand a little irritating, if I'm
honest, because it gets me everytime.
It reminds us that God'stimeline is not our timeline,
which is super frustrating.
And God tells us there is aharvest that's coming, but it's
on his schedule.
And the other point I'd like tomake is that the harvest is

(03:38):
what God believes.
The harvest will be, not me,dude.
That is so hard for me, if I'mhonest, because in my mind I
have a very clear vision of whatharvest and fruit are supposed
to look like.
And then that big if, if youdon't give up, that if holds a
lot of weight, because it meansthat the harvest isn't just

(04:00):
about what you've planted, it'salso about whether you stayed
the course.
In the book Promise Over Purpose.
I talk about the obedience offaith and I call it the crucible
of obedience because it is.
It can be a crucible, you know,like you are just enduring,
there's a hit and a slap, andit's like American Ninja Warrior

(04:22):
.
I love that show.
I keep telling myself and mykids that I was going to go on
there one day, but probably not.
You're not going to see me onAmerican Ninja Warrior, but I
just think, man, that'ssometimes that's how life is,
you know, and we run the racethat God has called us to run,
but we say those little termsand we don't realize running a

(04:42):
race is exhausting.
You know it's a lot.
Your feet hurt, your ankleshurt, you get blisters, you
might get a cramp here or there,you know so, and, and for most
of us, we just want to sit downon the side of the track for
just a little while.
And then sometimes, if you'verun really hard and I don't know
anybody who's out therelistening, who's like in your
car right now laughing.

(05:02):
But you know, when you work outreally, really hard and you're
like I think I'm going to throwup, I literally think I might
just throw up.
That's exactly how life is, butwe don't talk about those
things.
We don't talk about them inleadership.
We're like I think I mightthrow up now, but no, we just
keep talking about how shiny andgreat and wonderful it is.
But I think God knows all thosethings and Paul is one of my

(05:24):
favorite teachers in the Bible,just because I have such empathy
for his journey of grace.
Like I can't even imagine whatit was like to be him right, to
persecute Christians, to haveall of this head knowledge, all
the doctrine, all the theology,to be very good, to be very
successful as a scholar and as astudent of the word and of the

(05:46):
law, and then to radically beblinded, literally on the road
to Damascus, where God's likehey, you got it all wrong, dude.
That had to have been such ahumbling experience for him.
So the question today is how dowe keep going when we feel like
quitting?
So I'm going to give you threesimple leadership truths that I
have learned the hard way.

(06:07):
Number one you sow even when thesoil feels dry, which is
counterintuitive.
I know Faithfulness isn'talways flashy.
Sometimes the work isunderground, always, there's
always work happeningunderground.
The impact shows up later inways that you never will expect
and I share, my two grandfatherswere both farmers One plowed

(06:30):
fields and the other one raisedcattle and so I grew up as a
little girl in Oklahoma, wheremy grandfathers were both
farmers, and so I got to seewhat it was like to bale hay and
I knew what it was like to gooutside and pick green beans
until your backside just hurt.
I remember the hours and hoursas a little girl when my mom

(06:51):
would be canning in the kitchen,all the things, all the fruit
of our harvest, so to speak.
I remember my dad going down tothe river and collecting sand
plums and my mom spending hoursmaking lots of batches of plum
jelly.
So I just remember this likelife of canning and farming and
reaping what you sow in reapingwhat you sow, and so there is

(07:20):
hard work to it, and it is thefaithfulness of getting up and
plowing and planting, even whenyou don't see anything growing,
because you are believing andtrusting in the promise that has
yet to come.
The second one that rest isn'tquitting.
I want you to hear me, becauserest is something that I have
struggled with for many years,but pausing is not the same as
giving up.
Okay, jesus rested, he went outon a mountain and he slept

(07:41):
which I'm not really into that,but maybe you are but you are
allowed to rest.
And I am the biggest, worstcritic when it comes to this.
I would always be like no, no,no, we have to keep going, we
have to keep going.
But the reality like no, no, no, we have to keep going, we have
to keep going.
But the reality is no, no, youdon't.
As we say.
Jordan Rainer tells us inRedeeming your Time in his book
which is amazing, by the way hetells us that you will die with

(08:01):
things on your to-do list.
So that was very freeing for me.
So leaders burn out not becausethey work hard, but because they
work empty.
So write that down.
You empty, so write that down.
You're not burning out becauseyou work hard.
You're burning out because youare empty and you have to
protect your margin.
And there's a whole series onmargin, so we can talk about

(08:22):
that at a later date.
And number three look forsprouts, not applause.
Christine Kane she wroteanalogies about a relay race and
running the race that God hascalled you to run, and I always
remember this.
She says in the book that yougive the baton to the person
that's running, and I think thatis so true.

(08:43):
You give the baton to theperson that's running.
From a leadership perspective,you don't give the baton to the
person that's a little loudestor clapping the loudest or has
the biggest platform.
You give the baton to theperson that's running.
So it's tempting to wait forthe big ta-da moments, but
leadership growth often shows upin tiny ways A team member who

(09:03):
steps up, a client who sends athank you, and a small win that
reminds you to keep going.
And so, as leaders, we have toremember that about ourselves.
It's not about the big wins.
Those are great and wonderful,but nine times out of 10, it's
going to be those small, littlebitty sprouts that are really
going to show us where growth isactually happening.
Later this month, I'm talkingwith Dr Christy McMullen, and

(09:26):
she's a leadership coach andneuroscience expert who helps
people find clarity in the chaos, which I love, and I can't wait
for you to hear thatconversation, because she has
some powerful insights in whatit takes to sustain the
leadership long term.
She brings the science and thesoul together in a way that just
makes you go.
Yes, this is exactly what Ineeded to hear.
So if you're feeling stuck orworn down, I want you to stay

(09:48):
with me this month.
This conversation with DrChristy will lift your head and
will help you take the nextright step forward.
So before we go today, friend,I want to leave you with a
question, because I'm alwaystrying to help you see and grow.
Where in your leadership rightnow are you tempted to give up?
Is it a project, a person, adream?

(10:11):
Maybe it's a prayer that you'veprayed a hundred times?
Prayers are hard.
That's a whole differentconversation about faith,
praying without seeing emptyhands.
But I encourage you to takefive minutes today just five
again, doesn't have to be anhour and write down that area of
discouragement, and then I wantyou to write this verse next to

(10:33):
it At the proper time we willreap a harvest if we do not give
up.
That's your promise.
That's your reminder, friend,that God sees your faithfulness.
Even when the fruit isn'tvisible, the harvest is already
in motion.
Thank you for being with metoday.

(10:54):
If this encouraged you, wouldyou please do me a favor and
share it with a friend or afellow leader?
I would absolutely love that.
And if you haven't already,please go ahead and subscribe to
the podcast and the newsletter,so you don't miss a single
episode or a bonus tool that wesend out.
And if you want to talk aboutyour leadership journey or you'd
like to get clarity, pop overto my website.

(11:15):
Schedule a discovery call.
I would love to talk to you.
I am doing leadership coaching,which has been super phenomenal.
It's a really great opportunityfor me to help people like you
who are faith-driven leaders.
You don't have to serve inministry.
Maybe you're bivocational,maybe you work in industry or
government and you work in acompletely different environment
but you're struggling to try tosee the connection between your

(11:37):
faith and your work life.
I love helping leaders come upwith tools and frameworks.
I've got some great resourcesthat we've developed to give you
the tools and to help you walkthrough that, so it's a 90-day
coaching program.
I would love to share it.
Great resources that we'vedeveloped to give you the tools
and to help you walk throughthat.
So it's a 90 day coachingprogram.
I would love to share it withyou.
So pop over to the website andschedule a call.
Okay, friend, I hope you havean amazing summer, I hope life

(11:58):
is treating you well and you'regetting some free time, and I
just want to make sure that youremember to keep showing up
every day, even when it hurts,because you matter.
All right, friend, I'll see youlater.
Bye.