Month: May 2016

Poor Job. He was in a state of bother, scraping the scabs off his skin with a piece of a broken clay pot; his world had crumbled around him – bankrupt; his children were dead – well, you know the story. Then, his ever-loving wife tells him he might as well give it up.

But, he didn’t. He is an example of one who embodies the cliche “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” There’s a lesson here:

Some try and try and try then quit, listening to the voice of Job’s wife that says “what made you think you could do that anyway?” Thus, they end up with a mediocre life, always thinking… if only…

Some try and try and try, then try something else, then try something else, then something else, going after every “new venture” that is presented to them, ending up with a frustrated life and a laundry list of unfinished projects, always thinking… if only…

Some never try and just…settle. No commentary needed.

Then, there are those who try, try again ad infinitum. The definition for that phrase “ad infinitum” says again and again in the same way; forever. There’s a slight difference in those who try, try again ad infinitum and succeed, though. They will not keep doing it the same way when one way doesn’t work. I think that’s defined as insanity! – doing something over and over the same way expecting different results, right? Ha.

Take that and consider Google’s list of synonyms, and the real meaning comes out:

for ever and ever, evermore, always, for all time, until the end of time, in perpetuity, until hell freezes over;

In particularly, that last one. There are those who keep working toward their goal, and no matter what obstacle comes their way, they get right back up and move forward, doing whatever it takes, however long it takes. Those are the ones who make it. For instance,

• Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor felt he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He was cheated and nearly penniless. The legend goes that Walt, working in a beleaguered office tamed one of the many mice that scurried around, kept him in a desk drawer, and fed him from his own small rations – thus Mickey Mouse was born (first known as Mortimer Mouse). -Google Books.
• Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts several times before winning numerous Emmy awards for numerous films
• R.H. Macy had many retail flops before the retail giant, Macy’s -my favorite store, became a success
• Soichiro Honda was hated by his Japanese business community because he dared to be different.Vroom, vroom, anyone?
• Colonel Harland David Sanders, my own home state of Kentucky icon, was fired over and over No one wanted his chicken recipe! Losers…
• The list goes on and on… Sir Isaac Newton, Vera Wang, Thomas Newton…. You should go read the list

What if they had settled? What if they’d said… if only…. What if they’d quit!

Even Scripture tells us we should keep “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10.  Some just take the philosophy of eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, thinking…I can’t ever be good enough anyway.  Well, join the club. Yet, we are told that we are not to give up! We never stop seeking what God wants. We never settle! Keep reading, keep praying, keep trying…all the while, resting in the confidence that He knows your frame, that you are but dust. He knows your failures and faults, but he loves and died for us anyway!

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”!!!!! I love it.

How many times have you failed? Good! Now, change your perspective, your methods perhaps, and try again!

Challenge:  write down your goal, your desire… then plan how you will go after it…again. Leave a comment of what you are going to do.