Don’t Quit Now

Don’t Quit Now

Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

Have you ever wanted to give up on a worthwhile project? I have.

I remember a long-ago morning when my latest assignment was not going well. Then my daughter, Holly, arrived home from college and insisted we go horseback riding.

“Might as well,” I muttered. “I’m not getting anything accomplished here.”

Within the hour, we were at our favorite stable, but the docile horse I usually rode was already on the trail for the entire day. I had no choice but to request the second most docile. Soon a large black horse was brought out, and I took the reins and led him to the mounting block. There, I placed my left foot in the stirrup and had just started to swing my right leg over the saddle when the horse, having decided he didn’t want me on his back, cleverly and quickly began to sidestep away from the block. There I was, one foot in the stirrup and the other poised in midair.

Even back then I had neither the agility nor the dainty figure to shift my weight quickly and throw myself into the saddle. Instead, I was suspended in midair for a long moment. The stable owner stood below me, arms in the air as if to catch me when I fell. There was only one convenient part of my anatomy to push, but he knew me well enough to know he’d better not touch that. So with arms waving, he hopped from foot to foot and yelled, “Don’t quit now, ma’am! Don’t quit now!”

Holly was bent forward on her own horse, howling with laughter, so I started chuckling, which put me in greater peril. But at last, with a surge of adrenaline, I threw myself into the saddle and shoved my right foot into the stirrup. The horse gave a defeated snort, and I turned his head toward the trail.

That ride, even with its perilous start, was exactly what I needed to gain clarity and finish my project. “Don’t quit now!” It’s a good phrase to remember when times get tough. —SANDRA

Lord, some days it seems as if everything is a hassle. Please help me to remember that the sweetest victories often come after the greatest challenges. Help me to listen when you gently whisper, Don’t quit now, Child. Don’t quit now.

If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Great works are performed not by strength but perseverance.

—SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709–1784), ENGLISH ESSAYIST, BIOGRAPHER, AND CRITIC