“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~Thomas A. Edison
Our human nature does not take falling down easily. When we fall down initially, we may find it relatively easy to get up. After all, we say to ourselves, that is what learning is all about. We are not always going to be able to do things right the first time. We might fail once in a while. Those phrases keep us going when things go wrong.
After a while, though, we begin to get fatigued, for lack of a better word, about falling. We may begin to say to ourselves, “This just isn’t worth the effort. I don’t know why I keep trying if I keep failing.” We find ourselves very tempted to give up, at least doing something the way we had been. We might find ourselves, however, looking for alternatives. We might be thinking that if something did not work well one way, it just might work another way.
Then, we might find out the alternates do not work either. That is where “the rubber meets the road.” That is where we find out the true mettle of the person. Some people, when confronted with continued lack of success will just give up all together.
That is the absolutely worst thing that could happen to any of us. When we give up, we will no longer look for possibilities. When we give up, we no longer believe that there is a solution. When we give up, we are lost.
Thomas Edison knew that we always have to look ahead, to struggle, to try again. Imagine where we would be had he not employed that same practice in his life. Not everything that he did was a success on first attempts or even on many attempts. Some things were utter failures. That did not force him to stop. That forced him to try, yet again.
Many people give up in their faith lives as well. They say, “I don’t know why I keep trying. God doesn’t hear me.” Or, “God won’t help me.” Or, “God doesn’t care about me.” Because of this, they quit praying. They quit worshiping. They quit encouraging others to learn or live the faith.
I read at one point in my life, “Giving up is for quitters.” I thought to myself, “That sounds like a Yogi Berra quote.” It wasn’t; but, it sure sounded like him. However, it is true. Only quitters quit. God did not make any of us to quit. He made each and every one of us to want, to dream, to desire the Kingdom. We cannot quit on that. We have to continue. We have to try one more time.
It’s in our spiritual DNA.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for all those who have given up, that they have the grace to try yet again.