Don't Be A Quitter!

My only way of having money as a kid was by finding a way to make it myself. When I turned 12, I was old enough to get a paper route, which I did right away. But before that, I mowed lawns, raked leaves, and shoveled snow.

I’d go door-to-door, in whatever season it was, and ask if they wanted me to rake, mow, or shovel. And that’s how I earned spending money.

But I learned a trick when it snowed. I’d approach people who were already shoveling. My friend asked, “Why? Can’t you see he’s halfway through?”

“Sure. That’s how I get most of my business. I find people who are halfway through and feel like quitting!”

It’s what keeps a lot of people from realizing what they dream of. They get started. They wear down. They get discouraged. And they quit.

I had a professor who used to say, “It’s always too soon to quit.”

I love Charles Spurgeon’s quote: “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.”

You started something a little over a month ago. It was New Year’s. You were motivated. You started reading the Bible or listening to Between the Lines. You got a gym membership. Or joined a small group.

This is the time of year that gyms lose the greatest number of memberships. People start…then pause…then quit.

The sad thing is, most people are separated by a thread from their greatest achievements. And that thread is simple discontinuation.

My greatest regrets are not in things I’ve done. My greatest regrets are in things I’ve almost done. Started. Did it for a while. But then quit.

You’re reading this for a reason. What are you ready to quit on? Marriage? A job? Purity?

Or what did you start that you recently gave up on?

Now’s the time to get back at it. Now’s the time to tell someone…get some accountability. Ask for help. Tell your small group, your spouse, or a co-worker. Tell them you need someone to push your nose back to the grindstone when you let up.

Rest if you must…but don’t you quit!