It' always too soon to quit

Never give up in the face of adversity. Have you ever been down for the count?

How do you respond? Throw in the towel? Do you think about quitting? Do you say, “What’s the use?”

Well, forget it! Falling down doesn’t make a failure … staying down does. Stay in the fight. Dust yourself off and keep on keeping on. It’s always too soon to quit. Growing weary in the fight brings dark clouds of depression and that obscures vision and peace.

Troubles come and troubles go. A poor attitude is, “Well, that trial is over … wonder what the next one will be?” What a poor attitude. What a way to live.

Yes, we all have had hard places in life but in James 1:2-3 is a wonderful statement. “My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” (NCV)

His statements require patience to say the least, but isn’t it worth it? Consider the alternative. Giving up surely doesn’t contribute to the winner’s circle.

Nothing in life is gained without persistence. Genesis 32 has a strong message of persistence. Jacob struggled with the Lord saying, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Jacob persisted and received a blessing.

Let’s keep going no matter how hard the struggle.

Jesus didn’t quit. He went through the horrible crucifixion not only to save us eternally but also to give us abundant life while living here. What a savior!

One time I heard a preacher say, “When you’re going through trouble, don’t stop. If you stop you’re going to be tormented day and night. So keep right on going. Set your face like a flint and plow right through. We are on the winning side. Be stubborn in your faith. Say to the enemy, ‘You can’t stop me because the Greater One lives in me.’”

God has given us weapons to fight evil, and we can use every piece of God’s armor to resist attacks.

“But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the good news of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit … which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17 TLB).

In this race of life we persist and keep going. With God all things are possible. That incurable disease may be eliminated tomorrow with a miraculous cure. The salvation of that loved one you have been praying for might happen today.

The apostle Paul admonishes us to not only run this race of life with diligence, but to even “stretch” and “strain” forward to reach the goal and obtain the prize. (Philippians 3:14)

Be encouraged today.

Never Give Up!

Portales resident Joan Clayton is a retired teacher and published author. Her e-mail address is:

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