‘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.”

Encouragement: Priceless Gift That Costs Little

Have you gotten over election campaign fatigue yet? Shortly before the Presidential election, a retailer told me sales were markedly down – seems the American public was simply worn out by the overwhelmingly negative campaigning. Feelings of widespread discouragement had set it, to the extent that people lacked even the initiative to go out and buy stuff!

But it doesn’t take rancorous rhetoric, or even the media’s fixation on accentuating the negative, to feel discouraged. Challenges at work can drag us down. Financial pressures – particularly at a time when TV commercials are urging us to give lavishly during the Christmas season – can easily keep our smiles turned upside-down. Sometimes we feel like the person working out on a treadmill or exercise bike who’s going no place really fast.

So as we’re pondering our Christmas lists, wondering what’s the best gift for Aunt Susie, Uncle George or cherished friends, perhaps we should consider giving a gift that’s priceless, yet in reality would cost us very little: Encouragement.

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Barnabas, whom we meet for the first time in Acts 4. We’re told about “Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement)…having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37).

It doesn’t take long to discover why this fellow deserved the “Son of Encouragement” nickname. As the previous passage points out, he was generous, a wholehearted giver who was eager to support the early Church.

Later we learn that after the conversion of Saul, the formerly zealous persecutor of Jesus’ followers, it was Barnabas who took the risk of coming alongside the Pharisee who had literally seen the light. Barnabas became a mentor for Saul, whose name was later changed to Paul, and they joined in several miraculous missionary journeys.

When they parted ways, it actually was because Barnabas was continuing to encourage. This time it was his nephew, John Mark, whom Paul had written off after the young man had deserted their mission, perhaps struggling with a case of homesickness. Years later, without mentioning Barnabas and his resolve to give his relative the benefit of the doubt, Paul wrote to his own protégé, Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).

Can you imagine the impact it had, first on Saul and much later John Mark, to hear Barnabas say, despite evidence to the contrary, “I believe in you”?

We don’t have to be mind-readers or equipped with extraordinary powers of observation to recognize that many people around us are weighed down by discouragement. Whether it’s the widespread malaise that seems to afflict the world around us, or very personal struggles, lots of folks are discouraged. Do they need to go to professional counselors, or make a series of appointments with psychologists? Or get prescriptions for mood-shifting medications?

For some, that might be the case. But for most of us, simple words of encouragement or kind gestures that say “I care” and “I’m here for you” are enough to lift spirits and enable them to recapture the “merry” usually associated with this Christmas season.

With email, texting and instant messaging, few people actually write notes anymore. So why not send one to someone who could use a lift? Not only will they become heartened to know they’re not alone, but also might be so shocked to receive an old-fashioned pen-to-paper note that they’ll even forget what had them so discouraged.

Perhaps as you’re looking past Christmas and pondering goals or resolutions for the New Year, you might make coming alongside someone desperately in need of encouragement a practical and, as I noted, very inexpensive gift. All it would take would be a little time, a bit of energy, and a willingness to let him or her feel important, that they matter, and offer assurance that better days lie ahead.

In whose life would God like to use you as a Barnabas, an encourager, in the coming days? You might not have to look far. That person might be right in front of you at work, in your church, your neighborhood, or even in your home. It’s the gift that fits any budget.