Sticking It Out
Anne Sullivan had gotten used to a lot of people telling her that the blind seven-year-old brat she was taking care of wasn't worth it. But Anne decided to stick it out. In spite of the temper tantrums, physical abuse, mealtime madness and even the girl's thankless parents, she knew in her heart that her work was worth all the pain. Within two years, the little girl was able to read and write in Braille. She eventually graduated summa cum laude from Radcliffe College, where Miss Sullivan had literally spelled each lecture, in Braille, into the child's hand. And when she grew up, the little girl - Helen Keller - devoted the rest of her life to aiding the deaf and the blind.
Writer James Michener was told that if he had not published a book by age 35, chances were that he never would. He was nearing 40, and he kept hearing that for every book published, there were 95 manuscripts collecting dust. But this man decided to stick it out, even though he was warned that the stories he wanted to write were not popular and they were not considered worthy of the top literary prizes. Hollywood hotshots also told him his plots held no dramatic possibilities. But Michener persisted, and the day came when he presented to the public Tales of the South Pacific. It won the Pulitzer. When it became a musical, Broadway critics warned that it would never make it, yet it remains one of today's most beloved shows.
Thomas Edison, the inventor, is another good example of a person with an unrelating spirit. A couple of men who were working alongside him were weary to the point of exasperation, and one of them said, "What a waste! We have tried no less than 700 experiments and nothing has worked. We are not a bit better off than when we started." With an optimistic twinkle in his eye, Edison replied, "Oh yes, we are! We now know 700 things that won't work. We're closer than we've ever been before." With that, he rolled up his sleeves and plunged back in. Edison stuck it out and proved the truth in Robert Frost's words: "The best way out is through."
Helen Keller said that one can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. "Many people never make it to their goal because they lack the one key element in order to make it, and that is persistence."
What a disaster it is indeed when persistence is lacking. Think of all the projects that never would have been completed had the people in charge just quit. Think of the criminal cases that never would have been solved without the relentless pursuit of detectives and lawyers. Think about the great pieces of classical music that never would have been finished, and the grand pieces of art that never would have graced the museums, cathedrals and monuments of the world. What about speeches, the sermons, the books that have shaped our thinking, infused new hope, and aroused the will to succeed? How many people would not have graduated from school or stayed in a marriage if they did not have persistence?
It has been said that if necessity is the mother of invention, then persistence is certainly the father. If you are working on a difficult project and you simply feel like calling it quits, don't! Stick with what you are doing and realize that this is the very moment that will spell success of failure.
God honors persistence and models it so well for us. His love for his people remains undiminished in spite of our deficiencies, our unfaithfulness. If you are right in the brink of giving up, maybe this verse from the Bible can help you through. Philippians 1:6 of the Bible tells us, "He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ - right up to the time of his return - developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."
So if God won't give up, why should you?
Francis J. Kong
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons learned:
1. We need persistence in all the things we do.
2. When one feels like quitting, just dial 4634357 (GODHELP). The receiver of the call will send His army to encourage you. (army referring to anyone he will send, e.g. family, crush, friends, classmates, worst enemy, wife, etc)
3. QUITTERS DON'T WIN AND WINNERS DON'T QUIT.
4. Give your best shot to whatever thing you do.
Writer James Michener was told that if he had not published a book by age 35, chances were that he never would. He was nearing 40, and he kept hearing that for every book published, there were 95 manuscripts collecting dust. But this man decided to stick it out, even though he was warned that the stories he wanted to write were not popular and they were not considered worthy of the top literary prizes. Hollywood hotshots also told him his plots held no dramatic possibilities. But Michener persisted, and the day came when he presented to the public Tales of the South Pacific. It won the Pulitzer. When it became a musical, Broadway critics warned that it would never make it, yet it remains one of today's most beloved shows.
Thomas Edison, the inventor, is another good example of a person with an unrelating spirit. A couple of men who were working alongside him were weary to the point of exasperation, and one of them said, "What a waste! We have tried no less than 700 experiments and nothing has worked. We are not a bit better off than when we started." With an optimistic twinkle in his eye, Edison replied, "Oh yes, we are! We now know 700 things that won't work. We're closer than we've ever been before." With that, he rolled up his sleeves and plunged back in. Edison stuck it out and proved the truth in Robert Frost's words: "The best way out is through."
Helen Keller said that one can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. "Many people never make it to their goal because they lack the one key element in order to make it, and that is persistence."
What a disaster it is indeed when persistence is lacking. Think of all the projects that never would have been completed had the people in charge just quit. Think of the criminal cases that never would have been solved without the relentless pursuit of detectives and lawyers. Think about the great pieces of classical music that never would have been finished, and the grand pieces of art that never would have graced the museums, cathedrals and monuments of the world. What about speeches, the sermons, the books that have shaped our thinking, infused new hope, and aroused the will to succeed? How many people would not have graduated from school or stayed in a marriage if they did not have persistence?
It has been said that if necessity is the mother of invention, then persistence is certainly the father. If you are working on a difficult project and you simply feel like calling it quits, don't! Stick with what you are doing and realize that this is the very moment that will spell success of failure.
God honors persistence and models it so well for us. His love for his people remains undiminished in spite of our deficiencies, our unfaithfulness. If you are right in the brink of giving up, maybe this verse from the Bible can help you through. Philippians 1:6 of the Bible tells us, "He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ - right up to the time of his return - developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."
So if God won't give up, why should you?
Francis J. Kong
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons learned:
1. We need persistence in all the things we do.
2. When one feels like quitting, just dial 4634357 (GODHELP). The receiver of the call will send His army to encourage you. (army referring to anyone he will send, e.g. family, crush, friends, classmates, worst enemy, wife, etc)
3. QUITTERS DON'T WIN AND WINNERS DON'T QUIT.
4. Give your best shot to whatever thing you do.
posted by FRANZ LIM at 12:49:00 AM
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