It’s Always Too Soon To Quit
“You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.” Psalms 73:24
At 7, Abraham Lincoln and his parents were evicted from their home. At age 9, his mother died, and he had to go to work to support the rest of his family. At the age of 23, he went into debt with his partner, and three years later, his partner died, leaving him all in debt, which caused him to go bankrupt. When he was 37, he proposed to a woman, but his proposal was rejected. Then, he ran for Congress and failed. He tried again two years later and failed. Then, at 41, his son died. At the age of 45, he ran for Senator and failed, but at the age of 51, he was elected the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was listed in history books as one of the greatest presidents we have ever had. Thank God he didn’t give up on his destiny and vision to change the nation. His purpose to abolish slavery and make America better was stronger than any of those other setbacks. You don’t know how what you are going through today is preparing you for what He is going to use you for tomorrow.
Most of us quit too soon. But we need to recognize that there are benefits of failure. Psalm 119 says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now that I’ve failed, I keep your word.” Failure can help you succeed. Failure can also educate you. Thomas Edison had 10,000 failures before he perfected the light bulb. He once said, “I have not failed. I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
Failure can help you discover your one true talent. Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of America’s greatest writers. But he would have never stumbled upon that gift had he not been fired from his job as a customer service clerk. He hated that job. One day, he lost his job, came home, and told his wife how he felt like such a failure because he couldn’t provide for his family. He moped for several days until one day; his wife set a pen and notepad on the table beside him. She said, “Well, you always wanted to write, but you didn’t have the time. Well, now you have the time, so write!” Hawthorne then wrote the Scarlet Letter. As you go through failure, God will help you find your place if you will trust Him.
Ray Croc failed at real estate and then failed again at sales. Eventually, he bought a hamburger stand from two guys- the McDonalds brothers. He took that struggling little business and turned it into one of America's biggest fast-food chains. Colonel Sanders was 67 when he started his chicken business. It would have been easy for him to retire at his age, but something drove him to take a chance on his dream. Sometimes, it takes finding out what you are not supposed to do to push you into the purpose God has put you on the earth to do.
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