Do not throw it away
Hebrews on holding confidence
The writer to the Hebrews urges believers who have already endured much: do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. The danger he addresses is not a sudden collapse but a quiet discarding — letting go of the boldness and assurance they once had, casting it aside in discouragement. He pleads with them to hold on, because the reward is real and near.
There is a moment in many long, hard efforts when a leader is tempted to simply throw it away — to abandon the confidence and conviction that carried him this far, concluding it is not worth it. The writer's word is, do not. You have endured this much; the confidence you are tempted to discard has a great reward attached, if you hold it just a little longer. Throwing away confidence is often the tragedy of the almost-finished, who quit just before the reward.
“They ought always to pray, and not to give up.”
— Jesus, on not giving up — Luke 18:1 (WEB)
The danger late in a hard effort is not sudden collapse but quietly throwing away the confidence that carried you this far — often just before the reward.
“Therefore don't throw away your boldness, which has a great reward.”
The writer pleads with the weary not to discard their boldness. A leader formed here holds onto conviction through discouragement rather than casting it aside. The inner work is refusing to quit just short of the reward.
Hold onto confidence and conviction through the discouraging middle and end. Remind yourself and your team that the reward is real and near. Do not let endurance already spent be wasted by quitting now.
Leaders endure much and then quietly discard their confidence near the finish. The blind spot is the tragedy of the almost-finished, throwing away the reward by giving up late.
Name a conviction or effort you are tempted to abandon. This week, hold onto it rather than throwing away its reward.
There is a moment in long efforts when a leader is tempted to throw it all away — to discard the confidence that carried him this far. It is often the tragedy of the almost-finished, who quit just before the reward.
What confidence are you tempted to throw away, when holding on a little longer would bring the reward?