From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
Winston Churchill, who said a lot of powerful things in his lifetime, once said this: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
We can vacillate between two extremes, and both spell defeat.
On the one extreme, we can enjoy early success at something but then rest on our laurels thinking that we have reached the “mission accomplished” stage.
However, doing this will cheat us from further success or growth.
On the other extreme we may experience failure at a task in the early stages and decide that success isn’t going to happen, so we quit.
For both of these extremes there is a common antidote, and that is the courage to continue.
Determination, grinding it out, keeping the line moving – call it whatever you like.
The point is, deciding to continue until a goal is reached, regardless of the false dream of early success, or the equally false discouragement of initial failure, is crucial to achieving one’s goals.
If you toasted in the New Year with a pledge to lose weight, and your efforts at the gym have plateaued, just keep at it, perhaps with some adjustments.
If you snuck a cigarette after boldly announcing at the ball drop that you and the smokes were history, don’t fret.
It’s not the end of the world.
Start on another smoke-free streak.
Whatever that goal of yours is, the Lord can help you accomplish it.
I leave you this week with the encouraging words of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.”
