NEVER GIVE UP

Don't give up.....

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. .. I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit "
His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo "

"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.

I gave them light.
I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.

But I would not quit.
> In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He asked me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots".

"I would not quit on the bamboo...

I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others".

He said.

"The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.

Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me.

"You will rise high"
"How high should I rise "

I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise " He asked in return.
"As high as it can " I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up. For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Thanks for the inspiration, everlearner

jon gordon's real time experience on never quit....

Don't Give Up - Because of a flight delay we only had 5 minutes to make our connecting flight in the Philadelphia airport to Portland, Maine. Everyone said we would miss it. Picture me, my wife and two kids ages 10 and 8 sprinting through the airport. Oh yeah, we also had to take a shuttle bus to the terminal! We asked the woman working the shuttle station to call the gate and tell them we were coming. She called and then said, "the plane is leaving... you won't make it." When our shuttle arrived we sprinted again to the gate. Lucky for us, our friend Jane Rollingson, who was also going to Maine, was able to make it to the plane before us. She had to check her luggage at the gate (small plane) and so this stopped the plane from leaving. When we arrived there was a big window where we could see the pilots and they could see us. The gate door was shut and the jetway was pulled back. We waved to the US Airways pilots and they waved back. A few tension filled minutes later as sweat poured down our faces they gave us a thumbs up sign and we were allowed to board the plane. Later I found out the other flights to Maine were all booked. Miraculously our luggage also made it in time. My kids learned a valuable lesson... Keep running and never give up!