Don’t Quit

Don’t Quit

He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

Romans 2:7

Just two days before Columbus sighted land, his men were on the verge of mutiny. They had sailed the longest voyage ever out of the sight of land and wanted to turn back.

The October 10, 1492, entry in Columbus’s journal stated, “Here the people could stand it no longer and complained of the long voyage. . . . The Admiral cheered them as best he could, holding out good hope of the advantages they would have. And he added that it was useless to complain. He had come to the Indies, and so had to continue until he found them, with the help of Our Lord.”^a Two days later they discovered America.

A folk proverb says, “Perseverance is everything.” The apostle Paul would likely agree. As he makes clear in today’s verse, God gives eternal life to those who persevere and don’t give up on their faith when the going gets rough.

Ignacy Paderewski, the great Polish pianist, composer, and statesman was waiting to begin one of his recitals when an eight-year-old boy from the audience slid out of his seat and headed for the stage before his parents could stop him. The young man seated himself at the piano and began playing “Chopsticks.” The audience scowled at this brash lad with his jarring sounds. From the side of the stage, however, Paderewski entered and quietly slid up behind the boy, reaching his long arms out to the right and left of the two small hands. Paderewski began to improvise on the “Chopsticks” theme. Suddenly the simple melody, played imperfectly, took on a sound of beauty, blessed with the master’s approval and touch. The audience burst into applause. Everybody noticed that Paderewski kept whispering into the boy’s ear. It was later revealed that he just kept saying, “Don’t quit, don’t quit.”

We have a similar opportunity in marriage to keep one another keeping on. At those times when one partner is weak, the other can be strong. And when both husband and wife are losing strength, the Master always comes alongside to make our imperfections beautiful. God’s voice saying “Don’t quit, don’t quit” can keep us persevering.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

—Thomas Edison

^a 123