Pastor Louis Johnson was the founding pastor of Tucson Baptist Temple in July 1958. He served the church for fifty years as senior pastor. I had the privilege of serving with him for thirty years. One of his statements, that he shared often, that is seared into my memory was, “There are no quitting places in life.”
He would then quote the following poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many failures turns about
When we might have won had we stuck it out.
Don’t give up if the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit
A True Statement
We all have or will face problems in our lifetime. The book of Job reminds us that, “man born of woman is a few days and full of trouble.” These problems and situations we face seem far beyond our control.
You may have had a recent visit to the doctor’s office and the news you received was not good. You may have experienced a significant financial reversal. You may have had genuine loss occur in your heart and life.
How do we move forward?
There is HOPE found in our Bible. I often claim the promises shared in Isaiah 40:29-31:
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
These verses are a phenomenal promise to receive strength for this journey we call life. As you face these difficult times, please don’t quit and trust the One directing your life.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
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