‘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.”

To Get Paid More You Have to Be Worth More

The boots on the left are what Gary Highfield wore at the steel shop;
on the right are his first business shoes, which he's re-soled several times.

As each year draws to a close, many people review the past year and consider what changes they’d like to see in the coming year. I’d imagine fast-food workers that protested low wages can be counted among them.

You might recall thousands of employees at McDonald’s and other chains insisting the Federal minimum wage be increased. Some proposed the current minimum of $7.25 be more than doubled to $15 per hour. Working full-time at the current rate, they explained, it’s nearly impossible to pay their bills, much less get ahead in life.

From a pragmatic perspective this makes sense. A person working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at the present rate barely earns $15,000. And that’s before taxes and other deductions. Who can live on that, especially with a family?

If the government mandated the minimum wage be boosted to $15 per hour, that would raise the full-time fast-food worker’s annual pay to more than $31,000. Not bad for flipping burgers and asking customers, “Do you want fries with that?”

While I’m sympathetic toward people struggling to eke out a reasonable standard of living on low incomes, there might be a better approach than waiting and hoping for government or corporate largesse to lift them out of their circumstances.

Consider this: In a newspaper article about the workers’ protest, one man stated he’d been working in the fast-food industry for six years at the $7.25 hourly rate. Six years? Do you suppose he’s being held there at gunpoint? If his compensation is unsatisfactory, why hasn’t he done something during that time to prepare for a better paying and, probably, more fulfilling job?

Let me share some of what I learned from my friend, Gary Highfield, who recounts his life’s journey in When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’ – Breaking the Chains That Are Holding You Back. About 30 years ago, Gary was one of those underpaid hourly workers, performing manual labor for a steel fabricating company. He was making $7 an hour, hardly enough for a family of five to survive, much less thrive.

Desiring a better life for his wife and children, Gary applied for food stamps. His request was denied – he was earning 33 cents a day too much to qualify. Next he approached his boss for a $1 per hour pay increase. At that stage in Gary’s life, $2,000 more per year would have felt like he’d won the lottery. But his boss said no.

Poor Gary, right? Well, not as he tells it. Reflecting on those apparent setbacks, he notes the irony: “The worst thing that ever happened to me was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Gary holds the shoes and boots that represent
different stages of his life and career, in front
of an office building where he made many sales.

Instead of resigning himself to a life of pinching every penny, or curling up in a fetal position and wallowing in self-pity, Gary took action. Realizing he couldn’t count on either the government or his employer to provide the better life he wanted, Gary stumbled onto an important principle: To get paid more, you have to become worth more.

He embarked on a comprehensive self-improvement program: strengthening interpersonal skills; learning sales and marketing secrets by attending seminars, reading books and listening to tapes; discovering how to dress to make a good impression; even pursuing a job relentlessly until he was hired for no reason other than his persistence.

What was the outcome? Within 18 months he had nearly tripled his income. He became the top salesperson at his company, and within several years was earning seven times what he had been making at the steel shop.

All this was due, in part, to not qualifying for food stamps and not receiving the pay raise he requested. These reversals taught him the difference between depending on someone else and depending on oneself.

Even when friends sounded doubtful, questioning the bold steps he was taking to improve life for himself and his family, and he encountered other obstacles, Gary refused to accept failure as a final verdict. As he says today, “Impossible isn’t possible…until you quit.”

Of course, he didn’t achieve this all by himself. People entered his life at key moments, ranging from a generous clothier to employers willing to give him a chance. Looking back, Gary regards many of these encounters as “divine appointments.” Without question, God was in the midst of his quest for a better life.

In the process he learned an important biblical truth: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). God has a purpose for each of us, and if we’re willing to step out in faith, He’ll reveal a plan beyond anything we could have envisioned.

So what about the protesting fast-food workers? For some, maybe there’s no other employment option. For others, however, the first step is realizing that unless they’re aspiring to management positions, McDonald’s probably isn’t a career destination but just a stop along the way. A second step is trying to figure out what they’d really like to do in life and determining how to achieve it.

As Gary would tell any of them, it won’t be easy. But the hard work, perseverance and sacrifice to get there will be worth it. The alternative? As he says, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.”