Don’t Give Up!

By Matthew Grebner

Life is tough. We all struggle with one thing or another, some more than others. But we need to be present for each other. In Don’t Give Up!, eighteen-year-old author Matthew Grebner speaks intimately about the life struggles he’s faced including depression, anxiety, fear, peer pressure, acceptance, and more.

A Christian-based testimony, he tells how he has overcome each and every struggle, offering a host of practical advice for teens. Through his story, Grebner seeks to bring life to the darkness and hope to the brokenness. He wants everyone to know they aren’t alone. God loves you. God has a plan for your life, and the plan is bigger than any of your mistakes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664202689

Matthew Grebner

Matthew Grebner is an eighteen-year-old senior in high school . Throughout his life, he has had the opportunity to travel and speak around the world. His mission is to help teens feel more normal, less stressed, and relieved they aren’t alone with their struggles. Visit him online at www.golifeapparel.com.

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Copyright © 2020 Matthew J. Grebner.

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WestBow Press

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and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0266-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0267-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0268-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020915906

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/09/2020

Introduction

I am an eighteen-year-old kid writing about my struggles. I am a sinner saved by God’s grace. I have issues; I’m not an expert; I don’t have it all together. Who does? These are my struggles and how I deal with them. I hope and pray that through this book, you will feel more normal, less stressed, and relieved that we all struggle. Life is tough, and we need to be there for each other through our struggles. Let’s take on this journey through life together. You are not alone!

Contents

Chapter 1     Keep Looking Forward

Chapter 2     You Have a Gift

Chapter 3     Stay on the Narrow Path

Chapter 4     Be Unique

Chapter 5     The Fire

Chapter 6     Acceptance

One

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Keep Looking Forward

As a young girl, this wonderful lady wore potato sacks for clothes. She was sexually and physically abused. She did not have a steady place to live, shuffling between family members. Always longing for healing and love, at age fourteen, she broke away to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. This is where she starts to find her true identity.

Oprah Winfrey went from rags to riches. By the age of nineteen, she started to pursue a career in media. It was not all fame and riches, but she did not stay down for long. She soon turned AM Chicago into the highest-rated talk show in Chicago. A few years later, it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. This is one of the many success stories you have probably heard of.

Now, why do I tell you this? Because I believe hearing someone else’s success story can have a huge impact on your life. For me, it was extremely eye-opening. It helps us see life from a different perspective. Through our struggles, we need to believe in ourselves. In success stories, we see other people overcome their struggles, so why can’t we?

If you are reading this book, you are probably struggling with something in your life and want to overcome it. You are not the only one. We all struggle with something in our lives. Whether it is an addiction, depression, anxiety, perfection, selfishness, and so on, we all struggle every day.

I am not going to lie; I have struggled with each of these at one time in my life. These struggles are just a part of life. However, they don’t need to be, and they don’t define me. I can proudly say that I am a sinner saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8).

In this book, I keep it simple. So many times books make everything too complex. It doesn’t have to be. I want to keep it simple for your sake and mine. I want to touch on why we struggle in life to the point of giving up. I want to encourage you not to give up because God is good.

If you only get one thing from this book, I want it to be that God loves you; you are loved. God is love, and love comes from Him. And nothing can change His love for you. If you understand this, it will change your life forever.

Don’t Look Back

Are you constantly living in your past mistakes? This is not from God. Trust me, I have been there. I tend not to let things go. Every time that the enemy (Satan) reminds you of your past, remind him