Never Give Up
- Category: Gospel Truth
- Date 13-07-2014
- 317 views
“I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb” (Nelson Mandela).
Life is a series of endless obligations. To give up is to stop to live. A spouse must constantly cater for the partner’s needs. A student must persistently attend lessons and academic preps. A farmer must regularly tend to his crops or animals to realise good yields. A shopkeeper must open for customers and replenish the stock constantly. A priest must preach and minister to his flock continually.
Jesus emphasised the importance of perseverance. He said that if you have a friend and you knock at his door for assistance late at night, he may not open to assist you at first. If you are in great need of help, however, you must not give up your appeal. Knock more and more, “…even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him…” (Luke 11:5-8).
Success is rarely registered at a single click of a button. In a majority of cases, success is a result of repeated pressing of buttons; some right, some wrong. Tireless attempts at tasks results into learning new lessons each time and ultimate innovation which also translates into desirable success. A great many people though easily surrender to despair and abandon their dreams when they are so close to success that they only need to take a single step to attain victory. “Victory belongs to the most persevering” (Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821)
The gospel of John presents an episode of the Bethzatha pool in Jerusalem. From time to time, the angel of the Lord would descend upon the pool and stir up the water. The first person to jump into the water after it had been stirred would be healed of any disease. A man was sick for thirty-eight years and stayed at the pool but had no opportunity to leap into the water first to be cured. In spite of this challenge, the man did not give up until Jesus found him at the pool and healed him (John 5:2-9). Suppose the man got frustrated and left the scene of healing, he would never have encountered Jesus. He would have remained sick or died. When you are pursuing a cause, you should never surrender to frustration or disappointment. “If you are going through hell, keep going” (Winston Churchill)
There is another scriptural story of a window that seriously needed justice. When she took her case to the judge, he totally ignored her. The widow, however, did not give up her request to the judge to intervene in her case. When she persisted with prayers and petitions for justice, the judge got tired and sorted her case to save himself from further inconvenience (Luke 18:2-5).
One of the strongest people in the Bible, Samson, identified a woman of his love (Judges 14:1). In pursuing his dream, he encountered two major challenges which he nonetheless faced squarely. First, when he was going to Timmah to talk to his branded woman, a lion got in his way. Instead of retreating, he grabbed and tore the lion into pieces (Judges 14:6). The second challenge is that Samson’s father strongly opposed Samson’s intention to marry a Philistine. Samson was not discouraged though. He remained firm in his pursuit of his loved woman and, in the end, his father supported the marriage. Right from conception, God had revealed Samson’s mission to his parents. “He shall begin the liberation of the Israelites from the Philistine oppression (Judges 13:5).
When Samson grew up, however, the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, imprisoned him and subjected him to harsh labour (Judges 16:21-22). They brought him to their council, as an amusement character, and made fun of him. In the due course, Samson “…called on Yahweh and exclaimed, ‘Lord Yahweh, remember me…”. He pulled down the pillars and the council house fell upon chiefs and the entire congregation. Ultimately, Samson accomplished his mission (Judges 16:28-30). The circumstances leading to Samson’s final triumph were gravely torturous and demoralising to him as a person but also to his relatives, friends and well-wishers. But he persisted and achieved his mission. Where God is involved, however, everything is possible (Luke 1:37).
There was a woman who suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years. She always looked everywhere for cure and used up all her property to pay doctors’ fees. She did not give up though. When she came across Jesus, she touched his clothing, resulting into instant cure (Luke 8:24-29). Twelve years is not a short time but the woman did not stop seeking a remedy for her condition.
When you set your mind and energy on something, nothing should stand in your way to achieve it. Barriers will surely crop up, including delay, sabotage, exhaustion, competition, or misfortune. Yet, these are not real barriers; they are mere figments of your imagination. If you do not create a comfortable zone in your mind for the worries to thrive, you will realise your dreams or goals.
The people who carried a sick man to Jesus found that there was no space for them to access the Lord. He was inside the house and, worse still, the entire compound was overcrowded. They should have given up and returned the sick man home to die or they would have waited for Jesus outside the building. However, they did not want to gamble with the man’s life. “They could not get space because of the crowd; they removed part of the roof till they got the paralytic man to Jesus… and he was healed” (Mark 2:4-5).
We all have equal chances to succeed in life. It is natural, however, that we meet numerous challenges which may restrain some people from moving forward. Such people may wish to wait until they are sure they will not meet pay any price in terms of risks, competition, or tiredness. All success demands a price, and to give up is to refuse to pay. Never give up. Quitters never win!
Venansio Ahabwe is a lay Christian in the Archdiocese of Mbarara.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Source: Gospel Truth, Leadership Magazine