Hebrews 12:1 “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
A certain man went into business, but his venture was a total flop. He switched to politics but within only one year that didn’t work out either. He tried his hand for a second time at business, but failed again. That meant three failures in three years. He proposed to his fiancée after four years of courtship, but she turned him down. Another woman he was courting died some time later. All these pressures led to a nervous breakdown, which required two years of convalescence, after which he relaunched his aborted political career with a bid to be elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. He failed. He was again defeated two years later for the position of elector. Another three years after this, he was defeated as he ran for a seat in Congress. Another five years passed before he sought office again, but was defeated. Tragically his four-year-old son died during this time. That led to seven years in the wilderness, before running for the Senate – to no avail. Things looked more positive the following year, when he was nominated by his party as their vice-presidential candidate, but his running mate and himself were defeated in the general election. He failed two years later when trying again for a seat in the Senate. However, another two years later, in 1860, after 24 years of dogged persistence, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States of America!
I don’t know what challenges you face, but keep running your race today. Be encouraged by these words on an office plaque:
“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not: The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Lord, help me to resist discouragement and persist with whatever you’re calling me to today. Amen!
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