Changers Can't Quit

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It is oh so easy to start a task. You hear the words, watch the commercial, read the book, or do the research and you are all "gung ho". Soon, the excitement subsides and the hard work begins. It is the reason why finishing the job is always what's most difficult.

Quitters Don't Win
No doubt, you have probably been taught since you were a child that you shouldn't be a "quitter". As I look back, I'm sure it's because so many times I decided to do something, like take music lessons or play sports, and then when the excitement wore off, didn't have the maturity to stick it out.

As a result, we have come up with a multitude of ways to keep on keepin' on. One tactic was promoted by a motivational speaker. One thing he did was to cut the word "quit" out of his dictionary. Others have said we need to have accountability to someone. Still others have told us that we just need to sludge through no matter how hard it may be.

Silent Cal and the Power of Persistence
Have you ever heard this from one of our former presidents? They called him Silent Cal, but when he did speak, it was profound. Here is his thoughts on persistence (thanks to my new friend from Michigan, Kevin, for sharing this with me on Sunday):

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 will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge

While "omnipotence" is a strong word, it expresses the power of persistence. Let's persevere.

Am I Truly Committed?
Is there anyone reading who would dispute that there are many things that can and will come along that will cause you to doubt your commitment or your original decision. It can start as a whisper then crescendo into a full symphony...if we let it. The doubts can surface anytime there is opposition or hardship. We begin to question, "Was only our emotions working or was it a true commitment?"

Jack Fischl lives in an indigenous reservation in western Panama as a Community Economic Development Consultant assisting small businesses. Expanding his vision to help others, he moved from just a simple concern for others to making a difference. He gives some good tips that can help us all "change our world". (Go to his blog here) His words are not as dramatic as they are simple reality:

Be consistent in your efforts, research your cause regularly, and expect to feel overwhelmed at some point. Not necessarily by the difficulty of your own efforts but by the scope of the problem. If it was easily solvable, you wouldn't need to work on it.

Commitment to a cause, as we push through the hard things, is what will ultimately make the difference

The Impact of One
One of our small group members, when asked what encouraged her the most about "52 Days to Change Your World" said that it was understanding the impact of what she can do to change the world. That one person can really make a difference. So much of persevering is experiencing your own individual desire to help change the world, and it matters. You might not be able to help everyone, but you can help someone. You might not have the resources to change everything, but you can change something.

Turning Your World Upside Down
It is that attitude that turned the word upside down in the first century. It started with one man, whose name was Paul of Tarsus. He decided, someone's got to do something, it might as well be me. He began by seeing the need of people who were wandering in a dark world without Christ. He sustained momentum by reproducing his walk with Christ into men like Silas, Timothy, and Titus. Finally, he secured the change by bringing together Christ-followers into communities that would then reproduce themselves over and over again. For the next two thousand years, the churches that began from simple missionary journeys would experience God's power working through them time and time again. Now there are over a billion people in our world who claim the name of Christ. Paul only had a little more than a decade on this side of eternity, yet this one man began a missionary movement that has progressed without fail in every generation. It is only a few years after he began traveling his world and changing lives in Christ that we hear these words in Acts 17:6. Mind you, this is from someone who was shocked at the impact of this man's persistence:

These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. (Acts 17:6 NKJV)

Now, some 2700 years later, the words of the prophet Isaiah can speak to you and encourage you as I'm sure they did for Paul as a young Jewish boy:

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay (Isaiah 29:16 KJV)

As clay can be molded with perseverance and care, in the same way, you can change your world if you don't give up and keep working at it. It is what we all can possess and is truly the great equalizer. That is why, as we mold our world, we choose to never give in, never give up, and never give out.

How about you? Are you ready to turn your world upside down? Then...

"if it's going to happen, I can't quit".

Pastor Trey Rhodes


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