Monday, September 08, 2008

60 Seconds (14)

THE HONOR OF WANTING TO QUIT

A young college student, in his freshman year, was struggling with a course in French. He was so discouraged that he wrote home to his parents expressing his temptation to drop out of school. His dad sent him a poster of a young man, around nineteen years of age, in his football uniform. He was sitting dejectedly at the far end of the bench, covered with mud, his hair disheveled, and his face buried in his hands. The caption reads, “I Quit.” Elihu Root said, “Men do not fail; they give up trying.”

Here are some thoughts about “The Honor Of Wanting To Quit,” then some input on “How Not To Quit.” First, the reasons for this title, “The Honor Of Wanting To Quit.”

· Wanting to quit is a sign of success, because only successful people can quit.

· The more you have to quit, the more you want to quit. Samuel Johnson declared, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.”

· You can enjoy the luxury of wanting to quit if you know you’re not going to quit. Wanting to quit, and actually quitting are not the same.

· Quitting is really changing. Sometimes we all need a change, but don’t quit on an unfinished task, calling it change.

Second, “How Not To Quit.”

· Burn the bridges behind you. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “To reach the port of heaven we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against – but we must sail, not drift or lie at anchor.”

· Don’t expose yourself to what you do not want to be. Ten years from now you will be what you read, view, and listen to via the media, and the people you associate with. Albert Einstein warned, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

· Don’t tell anyone you want to quit, when you want to quit (except for a close trusted friend, and, even then, be cautious).

· Lock yourself in so you can’t quit. Have a fixed and determined spirit. Great people are just ordinary people who just don’t quit. Marylin vos Savant stated, “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.”

Now, for the rest of the story. I began with the illustration about the poster showing a young football player, despondent and defeated, with the caption, “I Quit.” However, down on the bottom of the poster is a little picture of a black hill outside of Jerusalem, with a very crude cross, and next to it these words, “I didn’t!”

Dave Arnold, Pastor, Gulf Coast Worship Center, New Port Richey, Florida
www.davidarnoldonline.org

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

6 comments:

Annette said...

I liked that. Think I'll put it in next month's church newsletter. Thanks. :)

donsands said...

It's more difficult for some personalities to continue on then others. But even the most timid, and unconfident can be quickened by God's Spirit to not quit. I have had that happen for me.

And I believe part of it is that others were praying for me.

Good post. Good thoughts about "wanting to quit".

MrsEvenSo... said...

Praise God Jesus didn't quit! It wasn't an option for Him. So...it shouldn't be an option for us either! Amen.

Even So... said...

The believer will never fully and finally fall away, this is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints...praise God for His faithfulness...

Anonymous said...

For me, there's a difference between "quitting"and "retiring gracefully".

Christ was capable of His sacrifice.

I have discovered that I am not capable of learning Spanish.

I am, on the other hand, capable of bicycling. As of about one month ago I became a 48 year old fat chick on a bike. In that month I went from "Oh...riding 10 miles is hard" to "I rode 50 miles yesterday.". (I really did).

I will never be capable of things that my body or brain or spirit were not meant to do...these are just ramblings and maybe better of on my own blog? I detest "quitting", but sometimes it seems the better option than doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Even So... said...

Ramble all you want, dear...and oh, thanks for makiing me feel guilty about exercising, now I have to unquit what I have never even started, as far as our (stationary) bicycle is concerned...

:-)