‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ – Easier Said Than Done

Have you ever started an ambitious endeavor with great enthusiasm and high expectations, only to experience the excitement fading as your goals took much longer to achieve than you had imagined? 

 

That has happened to me a number of times – a project at work that proved more complex than anticipated; a book I intended to write until some unexpected hurdles got in the way; even taking drum lessons and becoming dissatisfied with my progress.

 

It’s easy to utter the cliché, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” but when days turn into weeks and weeks become months, we can find discouragement lurking right around the next bend. Perseverance and patience are noble virtues, but unlike coffee and pudding, they don’t come in instant form. They require time and determination.

 

Kind of like the little boy who opened a door and discovered a room filled with horse manure. Rather than being repelled, he started digging and digging. “With all this manure,” he reasoned, “there must be a pony in here somewhere!”

 

Sometimes well-conceived projects turn out to be just stinky, without a pony in sight. As time drags on, the work gets harder, and the objectives remain beyond reach, it’s very tempting to become disheartened and entertain thoughts of giving up. ‘What’s the use?’ “I knew I couldn’t do it.’ 

 

What if inventors like Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, and many other inventors had thrown in the towel after failing time after time? Who knows? We might still be sitting in the dark at night, telling each other than human flight is a fantasy, and believing that talking to someone long distance is just a crazy idea.

 

How can we “keep on keepin’ on” despite setbacks, obstacles, and the expending of much blood, sweat and tears that cause our confidence to waver? Especially in a spiritual sense, when familiar sins continue to trip us up, prayers seem to go unanswered, and God-shaped dreams seem unrealistic?

 

Much could be written about this and already has, from many perspectives. But a few simple tips might help to keep us going during the tough times. For instance, don’t attempt important, even daunting initiatives alone. I love the admonition from the author of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, whom many scholars identify as King Solomon of Israel:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friends can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

 

We find similar wisdom in the New Testament: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10:24-25). As a friend of mine has often said, “Not one of us is as strong or as smart as all of us together.”

 

Another helpful tip is to maintain a clear vision, remaining focused on the intended outcome. One verse that quickly comes to mind in that respect is 1 Corinthians 15:58, in which the apostle Paul admonished first-century believers, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 

 

For those of us involved in seeking to advance God’s kingdom in one way or another, we can easily fall into the trap of discouragement when desired results seem slow in coming. Paul was acutely aware of this, because he wrote elsewhere, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9)

 

If anyone’s entitled to become discouraged or disillusioned, it would be the Lord Himself as He surveys what’s going on in the world right now. I can’t help thinking of Jesus Christ, who following His crucifixion, burial and resurrection reconnected with His disciples and commissioned them just before His ascension. We find His final instructions in Mathew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

 

Even though disciples surely are being made in many places, and the Gospel is being preached in more nations and languages than ever, the cause of Christ seems to have so far yet to go. Do you think the Lord is wringing His hands in frustration or feeling disheartened? I don’t think so.

 

If anything, we need to continue looking to Jesus for unwavering hope. Hebrews 12:1-3 amounts to one incredible pep talk, an exhortation for us not to give up:

     “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Can We Find You in the ‘Impatient’ Parking Lot?

When I was a newspaper editor, there were a few embarrassing moments when we overlooked obvious typos in large headlines. The problem with newspapers on actual paper is that once they’ve been printed and distributed, you can’t press autocorrect and fix errors.

 

I can’t recall the specific instances, but I’ll never forget the feeling of egg-on-face when I picked up one of the papers and spotted the error. Why those stood out like sore thumbs after being printed but seemed invisible prior to that, I never figured out. In today’s digital age, newspapers, blogs and Internet sites have the luxury of being able to correct typos, hoping they were caught before anyone noticed.

 

Do hospitals
need proofreaders?

Imagine how the person felt who produced the large metal sign for a hospital that read, “Impatient Parking.” In-patient, impatient. They’re close, aren’t they? I have no idea how long that sign stood proudly before someone picked up on the problem. But the sign might really have been more accurate. Actually, a sign that reads ‘Patient Parking’ seems like an oxymoron.

 

Because if you’ve ever gone to a doctor’s office or a hospital, you quickly realize that while physicians are instructed to ‘have patients,’ the patients themselves are required to have patience – and lots of it.

 

The issue of patience vs. impatience isn’t restricted to medical facilities and offices, of course. When I’ve sat behind the wheel of my car at a traffic light that’s slow to turn, you could describe my idling vehicle as impatient parking. The same applies to waiting while a shopper at the supermarket leisurely loads his or her groceries into their car while I sit restlessly waiting for them to move so I can claim their parking spot.

 

It boils down to this: I wouldn’t mind waiting if it didn’t take so long. Impatience has been a defining characteristic for much of my life. I’ve never been good at ‘hurry up and wait.’ That’s probably true for more of us than we’d like to admit. Some societies around the world might choose to proceed at slower, more relaxing paces, but many of us in America have grown accustomed to marching orders like “ASAP,” “stat!” and "immediately – if not sooner.”

 

This can present problems for us spiritually. Because God works at His own pace, and often it’s not at all the pace we’d prefer. In fact, one of the common traits of a growing, fruitful follower of Jesus Christ, as described in Galatians 5:22-23, is patience: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….”

 

Why is this? Because the Lord operates according to His own schedule. Like it or not, it’s always perfect. Not early, not late; just right on time. Consider Philippians 1:6, which declares, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

 

At those times when I attempt to assess my spiritual progress, I typically shake my head in dismay considering how far I am from where I think I should be. The verse above does give me hope and encouragement, since it promises that what God has started in our lives He’s determined to finish.

 

Many of us would like to think we’re making a difference in this world, being used by God in some small way to participate in what He’s doing, but sometimes it seems like nothing is happening. This is when we need to read and meditate on verses like Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

 

In another of his epistles, the apostle Paul expresses similar sentiments to believers in ancient Corinth, a very pagan, ungodly city. He admonished them, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

 

When we think about it, the Christian life is a continual exercise of patience, clinging to faith even when circumstances seem beyond hope. As Paul wrote to Christ followers in Rome, “…but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:23-25).

So, if you find yourself in the “Impatient Parking” lot, you’re not alone. But we should take heart. God’s not finished with us yet. He’s busy completing the work He began in us, as well as the world around us. As an older New American Standard translation phrases it, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

Remaining Steadfast Amid Severe Winds of Change

Granite quarry in Vermont.

Of late I’ve been thinking about a word we don’t often use these days, but one that history has consistently held in high regard. It’s a proud, noble and virtuous term. The word is steadfast.

Despite the apparently lack of appreciation for this word in contemporary culture, it’s used repeatedly in the Bible. One verse I learned early in my Christian life is Isaiah 26:3, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” The New International Version says it a bit differently, but equally effective: “You [the Lord] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.”

We see the word again in Psalm 112, which declares, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments…. He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:1,7).

 

What is this word, “steadfast”? One definition of it is, “resolutely or dutifully firm.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction…firmly fixed in place, not subject to change.” For me, the word also evokes the term “stand firm.” Put together, these definitions and synonyms call to mind someone who isn’t easily moved in the beliefs or standards they follow.

 

Why is this important? Because the foundational principles, virtues and values upon which our society was built and established are under assault, being attacked by gale force winds of change, compromise and watered-down convictions.

 

Whenever we read about great exploits, whether it’s being the first to climb a mountain like Mount Everest, engaging in combat, developing a championship sports team, or founding a great nation like the United States, we can’t avoid encountering men and women who remained steadfast, unbending, filled with rock-solid resolve in the pursuit of their goals.

 

I’ve been reading The Founders’ Bible, an edition of the Scriptures that also includes hundreds of articles, brief commentaries, and notes about how our Founding Fathers clung to their convictions and beliefs in the face of formidable, almost impossible odds. They were, in a word, steadfast.

 

In our walk of faith, we’d be wise to keep that word foremost in our minds. With everything that we see and hear transpiring all around us, it’s clear that like it or not, we’re involved in an intense spiritual war. Perhaps more than ever before, we must remain steadfast to avoid succumbing to the ongoing assault.

 

We read about this in 1 Corinthians 15:58, where the apostle Paul exhorted Christ followers in ancient Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The NIV translates the word as “stand firm.”

 

The Corinthians could have used any variety of excuses for wandering from the faith, from everyday challenges they faced to the emergence of false teachers seeking to lure them away from the bedrock truths of the Gospel that they had learned and were living by.

 

King David, who experienced more than his share of opposition and adversity, wrote about the importance of standing firm. In Psalm 57:7 he wrote, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast…. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.”

 

Even if we’re not of the spiritual stature of an apostle Paul or King David, the importance of a steadfast, uncompromising approach to life and faith is vital. Like a competitor in a marathon, we must remain fixed on our goal, the imperative of finishing our life’s race well – and serving God well as we do so.

 

The peer pressure is there. Prevailing messages in our culture beckon us to veer off course, “losing our first love” as the church in Ephesus was described (Revelation 2:4). Another ancient church cited in the next chapter, the body of believers in Laodicea, was said to be “lukewarm – neither cold nor hot.” Because of this, God said, “I am about to spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

 

The one who is not steadfast, who chooses instead to straddle the fence or is susceptible to losing heart, is like what we find pictured in James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave in the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

For many of us, Sunday mornings are times when it’s fairly easy to stand firm. We hear wonderful praise songs and hymns, a strong, biblically based message, and enjoy the company of like-minded believers. That’s good. But what happens when it’s Monday morning and the alarm of reality goes off, we go to the office and the phone rings, or we enter the classroom where contradictory views and values are espoused. Can we stand firm, remain steadfast even then? 

How You Start Doesn’t Matter If You Don’t Finish Well

The recently completed Summer Olympics filled me with very mixed emotions. I’ve always enjoyed the pageantry of the games, the thrill of victory converging with the agony of defeat, and the opportunity to exude patriotic pride by rooting for U.S. competitors. All the world coming together on a single stage, finely tuned athletes vying for their moments of fame.

 

But the heightened politicization of the games has become a turn-off. I’m like the person that doesn’t want different foods to touch on her plate. I like my sports to be solely about sports, untainted by political posturing and ideologies. The “east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet” perspective.

 

Nevertheless, I watched enough of the competition to reaffirm an underlying principle: It’s not about how you start, but how you finish. Whether in gymnastics, where a beautiful routine on the balance beam can be spoiled by a poor dismount; a runner who leads the pack early on but falters toward the end of a race; or a beach volleyball team that wins the opening set but loses momentum and drops a match – it’s all about finishing well.

One of the most thrilling events was a relay race in swimming. A team trailed going into the final leg, but then the star swimmer leaped into the pool, slowly gaining on the leader until he secured the victory in the final meters. It’s all about the finish.

 

For most of us, the closest we’ll ever get to the Summer or Winter Olympics is our couch or recliner, watching the competition in glorious, digital color on our TVs. But we’re all engaged in a race – the race of life. The marks we leave, our legacies, will be determined not by how well we started or how noble our intentions were, but how we finished. 

 

We can all think of people – family members, friends, or famous individuals – who failed to finish well. Celebrities, public officials, business executives, even Christian leaders who captured the admiration of many during their lives only to have their reputations sullied, even destroyed, by moral or ethical failures exposed after their deaths. 

 

How do we ensure a good finish to our lives? That’s a question that, with the passing of years, I ask again and again. I doubt anyone would want an epitaph to read, “Started well…but his (or her) finish? Not so good.”

 

We can turn to the world of sports for clues to finishing well. Because no athlete excels, especially at such a high level as the Olympics, without certain key qualities to propel their performance. Here are some of them, along with some biblical principles we all can apply for successfully finish life’s race:

 

Following the rules. Each sport has basic rules each athlete must follow. Failure to abide by them results in defeat or disqualification. “…if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5).

 

Persevering despite obstacles. Adversity is a fact of life; the key is to persevere and push through, no matter how great the challenge. “…one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

Avoiding distractions. Top athletes can become tempted by many things that deter them from their mission. They must avoid anything that doesn’t help in achieving their goals. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1)

 

Maintaining a clear focus. Every athlete knows that to succeed requires intense concentration, developing a tunnel vision that focuses on the desired end result. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

 

Refusing to quit. Giving up, no matter how near or far the finish line may be, guarantees failure. Tiredness, setbacks and discouragement happen, but they don’t justify quitting. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

 

Remaining resolute. One reason for failure is forgetting the motivation for putting in all the hard work, the sacrifice and effort. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Rejoicing in a strong finish.When determined athletes reach the finish line, whether they win or not, they can celebrate as long as they’ve given it their best. No regrets.“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).