Never Quit

 Happy Friday, Friends! 

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new opportunity begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day is going to be a great one! 😊

Last night I had the privilege of attending an event where the CEO of a company spoke. As she spoke, she stated that she is legally blind…much to the shock of everyone in attendance! She told her story of being filled with doubt, wanting to quit, and yet, having people in her life who lifted her up, spoke encouragement into her life, and showing her the greatness that they saw in her. There is a great message for all of us in that however that message is not the point of this Happy Friday! 😊 Living this life and walking that path, she stated that if there is one thing she would share with all of us it is this, “Never quit!” THAT is the message of this Happy Friday!

The first quote/poem I really remember seeing, and being profoundly impacted by, was when I was in 7^th grade. I was playing football and our coaches either gave it to us or had it posted on a wall. This is it:

Keep Going

by

Edgar Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

And 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 queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns.

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems

To a faint and faltering man.

Often the struggler has given up when he

Might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are.

It may be near when it seems afar.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.

It's when things seem worst that

You musn’t quit.

I have thought about this poem so many times, in so many seasons, in my life. I have repeated the words, “When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, and the road you are trudging seems all up hill, don’t you quit!” Yeah, I shortened it however it has sustained me, helped me find something within me, more times than I can count! 😊

Thinking about this subject last night, I looked up Viktor Frankl, to see if he had anything to say about not quitting. I have always been fascinated by Mr. Frankl, the author of Man’s Search for Meaning. What fascinates me about him? His spirit and his attitude. To help you understand, let me share a brief excerpt from the introduction to an article titled, Viktor Frankl: Saying Yes to Life in Difficult Times. “…Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and a Jew, who spent about three years in concentration camps, including Auschwitz. His father, mother, brother, and his pregnant wife all perished in camps.” Difficult, trying, perhaps unbearable, situations and circumstances? I could argue, “Yes!” And yet this is the same Viktor Frankl who had these, amongst many other, quotes:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear almost any ‘how’.”

Powerful, isn’t it?! His freedom stripped, his loved one’s lost, and yet there is this unbreakable spirit. For me, truly awe-inspiring!

Later in the article I reference above, you can read the full article at intellectualtakeout.org, we get a glimpse of what Mr. Frankl believed about quitting…and you will see a familiar quote pop up… 😊

“At Auschwitz suicide was a temptation, but relatively few ‘ran into the wire’. When someone began to speak about suicide, the other prisoners tried to talk them out of it. Frankl saw what kind of arguments brought the desire to live back. He found that when people believed that they were irreplaceable, they felt a responsibility to persevere. [Quoting Frankl] “A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the ‘why’ for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any ‘how’”

Don’t quit!!!

Last Saturday, Jane Marczewski died at the age of 31 after battling cancer for four years. Last summer Jane, known as “Nightbirde”, appeared on “America’s Got Talent” and impacted more lives than could ever be counted. Nightbirde knew Jesus Christ as her Lord and personal Savior and with this, I believe, Heaven gained another angel last Saturday. She also walked out and spoke to the faith she professed to have. Here are a few quotes from her:

“I am so much more than the bad things that have happened to me.”

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore until you decide to be happy.”

“Two percent chance of survival is not zero.”

Life is hard sometimes….for all of us! I don’t know your struggle, challenge, or pain, I can only speak to mine. I pray that you will not give up on your hopes, dreams, goals, and/or life. I neither want to minimize or over-emphasize the things you are facing. I simply want to encourage, and beg, you to never quit! 😊

I want to close by sharing the lyrics to In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible) by Katy Nichole. I would also encourage you to go listen to the song…it is absolutely beautiful!

I speak the name of Jesus over you

In your hurting, in your sorrow

I will ask my God to move

I speak the name cause it’s all that I can do

In desperation, I’ll seek heaven

And pray this for you

I pray for your healing

That circumstances would change

I pray that the fear inside would flee

In Jesus name

I pray that a breakthrough would happen today

I pray miracles over your life in

Jesus name

In Jesus name

I speak the name of all authority

Declaring blessings

And every promise

He is faithful to keep

I speak the name no grave could ever hold

He is greater, He is stronger

he’s the God of possible 

I pray for your healing

That circumstances would change

I pray that the fear inside would flee

In Jesus name

I pray that a breakthrough would happen today

I pray miracles over your life in

Jesus name

In Jesus name

Come believe it

Come receive it

Oh the power of His Spirit is now forever yours

Come believe it

Come receive it

In the mighty name of Jesus, all things are possible

I pray for your healing

That circumstances will change

I pray that the fear inside will flee in Jesus name

I pray that a breakthrough

Would happen today

I pray miracles over your life

In Jesus name

I pray for revival

For restoration of faith

I pray that the dead will come to life

In Jesus name

In Jesus name

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 

Kev