Don't Quit

I have spent some time watching the 2008 Olympics and have been quite impressed with the elite athletes from around the world. These men and women have worked long and hard perfecting their sport specialty. They have made some high sacrifices along the way. They have committed themselves to hours a week for years to achieve the level of excellence they have obtained. All of that is impressive, but perhaps for me what is most impressive is that these men and women refuse to quit. Instead they choose to persevere through the pain of training and the disappointment of occasional failure. They stay with it instead of quitting and turning away.

I think that impresses me so much because we live amidst an epidemic of quitting. It seems like “Let’s just quit” are household words. A marriage gets shaky and almost without much thought those words come to mind, “let’s just quit.” Our dreams get broken and often it is easier to quit than stay the course. Things don’t go as planned at work or at our church and the majority say “let’s just quit.” So many people seem to be into this unfaltering trend of quitting.

What has happened to the days when our motto was “if the going gets tough the tough get going”? Where have all those people gone that stayed the course no matter what? Are there still a few folks that can agree with the apostle Paul who wrote, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Heb 12:1 NIV?

Personally I admire the perseverance of those Olympic athletes. I also admire the quality of perseverance in people who display it. Because when that quality is displayed in one’s life it tells you a lot about the character of that individual.

So if you are facing some troubling times, a struggling marriage, rebellious children or a host of other things that are causing you to consider quitting. Let me encourage you, don’t quit. Instead persevere until the end you will be forever changed for the good if you do.