Don't give up
Never Give Up
By Rev. Kim Garner
September has been designated Recovery Month with the theme “Never Give Up.” There have been times in my life that I wanted to give up. I know I am not alone; maybe you have wanted to give up at some point. When we feel like giving up, we are reminded that God loves us and wants us to live life to the fullest. God plans to prosper us and not harm us (Jer. 29:11). If you are struggling in life, don’t give up. There are better things yet to come!
Many things demand our time and attention that we should probably leave behind. For example, unhealthy relationships, poor paying jobs, and bad habits can make us think that giving up is the easiest thing to do. But it is essential to keep fighting for what is good and right. Fight for your success, fight for your marriage, fight for your children, fight for your health. Don’t give up! We should know that we are not alone and are in God’s hands. He will provide us with the strength when we need it.
I read an interesting story about Colonel Sanders from Streetdirectory.com. Harland “Colonel” Sanders was born in 1890 and was left to be the man of the house at a young age when his father died, leaving him with a mother and two younger siblings. By the age of 7, he started cooking, and soon after, he was working several odd jobs such as streetcar conductor, steamboat operator, soldier, fireman, lawyer, and salesman. At 40, he mastered the perfect fried chicken recipe and opened a restaurant to service the high demand for his food. As he was perfecting his chicken, he was approached by a pressure cooker salesman who convinced Sanders to invest in his product to help speed his cooking process. Sanders bought 12 pressure cookers and was ready to sell a lot of chicken. At the age of 60, he had to shut down his restaurant because a highway was being built where his restaurant was located. Colonel Sanders decided to retire, but because he was not content with living off his $105 social security checks, he decided to franchise his chicken at 65.
He started traveling to different restaurants, cooking his fried chicken on the spot for restaurant owners. If the owner liked the chicken, they would sell the recipe. However, Colonel Sanders was denied 1,009 times before he made his first sale. By 1964, Colonel Sanders had 600 franchises selling his trademark chicken. At this time, he sold his company for 2 million dollars but remained a spokesperson. In 1976, he was ranked as the world’s second most recognizable celebrity. Today, KFC is one of the largest fast-food franchises worldwide. It has over 20,000 locations in 123 countries. It was because of Sanders’ hard work, dedication, and perseverance that he gained the success that he did. This is also inspirational because it exemplifies how perseverance, dedication, and hard work will lead to success, regardless of age.
Here are a few traits about people who never give up.
· They learn from failure.
· They are persistent.
· They believe in their potential.
· They are determined to succeed.
· They set small and manageable goals.
· They have learned to make good decisions by trusting their judgment.
· They are all about action.
· They are optimistic about the future.
· They can motivate themselves.
· They know how to manage their time.
· They stay away from toxic people.
Here are a few tips on never giving up.
· Make a decision!
· Know your ‘Why’!
· Visualize the result!
· Don’t let a bump in the road end your trip!
· Be self-confident in a good way!
· Know you can make anything happen!
· Learn to weather every storm!
· Enjoy the ride!
· Break it down!
· Reward yourself!
· Use inspiration!
· Don’t get stuck doing things one way!
· Grow thick skin!
Like Colonel Sanders, you have what it takes to be successful. Please don’t give up; you are never too old to dream. Go after your dream. Believe in the quality of what you do and believe in yourself (2 Chron. 15:7).