In today’s pandemic environment, people must practice social distancing, wear masks and curtail many of their social activities. People are unable to visit with loved ones, especially senior members of the family, and when they can, it is only from a safe distance often even separated by a glass door or window. These safety measures are critically important but as we move into the second year of the pandemic, many are weary of these practices. Are you thinking of quitting when we are so close to the end of these restrictions?
Life is full of quitting points, but if you throw in the towel now when you are so close to the resolution to COVID-19, you may regret it for the rest of your life. Only by staying the course can God strengthen you and make you a winner. It has been said that “you never test the resources of God until you attempt the impossible.”
Quitting does not build character, endurance however does. Endurance during hard times develops something in you that nothing else can. That is why God calls it blessed. Blessings sustain courage, give staying power to discipline, and turn dreams into reality and hope. Hope is built on endurance. Very few people knew more about endurance than the late Dr. Martin Luther King who endured strife, bombing of his home, threats to end his life, and prison time for leading the Civil Rights Movement for all people, black and white.
When you are faced with going it alone because of your stance for what is right in the view of God, do not quit but lean on him for strength for endurance. There will be anxiety in your life about uncertainties and fears about failing, but push yourself to keep going. Vince Lombardi said, “winners never quit, and quitters never win.”
So, prepare your mind to endure during difficult times. One of the most outstanding qualities of Gandhi, a great transformational leader of modern history, was the strength of his conviction to strong principles of righteousness. He never quit and endured to his end. So, Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Chaplain Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
