Never Quit Trying

“We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.”                                                                                             Vince Lombardi

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls                                                                                  Hebrews 12:1-3

                                                                                         

This is one of my favorite quotes from the Hall of Fame Green Bay Packer Coach. He was a great motivator, and this saying is at once an affirmation and a challenge. He essentially built up his guys by saying, “you guys are winners- no one can beat you!” He also was challenging them by implying that the only way that they could lose is if they quit trying (or time ran out).

I really like the idea that the only way we can fail is if we quit trying. Losing a game is not failure if you have put in your hardest work, and never quit trying. Failure is when you quit trying.

In the analogy of our lives, we need to keep moving, keep working, keep trying, even when we don’t feel like it. Jobs, relationships, parenting, maintaining health, etc. can be hard things that we need to work on. As long as we are striving, we are in that game of life. However, when we quit trying, when we give up hope or striving to succeed, failure will come eventually.

I tell my clients that movement is life. We were designed to be in motion. Working our disciplines, whatever they are, is critical to maintaining physical and mental health.

When we stop caring, we begin to fail.

But what about a person who is depressed? Good question- we talk about that tomorrow…

Prayer: Lord, continue to give us strength and hope for the future, Amen