Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. (John 7:37-39)

Every once in a while the words “just quit” flash across my mind. It could be for any number of reasons, having nothing to do with any really significant event – it’s sort of a “just cuz” sort of thing. I’ll be “feeling” a particular way and the words “just quit” will come rolling across the landscape of my brain.

If, If, I do not take those thoughts captive I most certainly wind up way off track and wandering down the corridors of my brain where nobody ought to venture without their armor firmly in place. Smile.

Anyway, a few months back I came across a poem titled, “Don’t Quit” which was a huge encouragement to this old soul of mine.
Dear ones, do you ever feel this way? Do you ever feel tempted to JUST QUIT? My hope today is that you will be encouraged to stay the course and resist any desire to throw in the towel. God is up to something and in Him, with Him, through the power of His strength, it is possible to stay the course, to finish, to not quit.

The Don’t Quit presentation is based on a famous poem which was written many years ago. The author of this poem is unknown.  Here is the poem in its entirety:

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
– Author unknown

“O fountain of Christ, satisfy my thirsty friends reading these words. Flow into their souls through the Bible and soul friendships. Overflow from them to the people around them who also are thirsty. Yes, Lord, your Spirit is the river of delights that we long for! Amen. 1

Stephanie

Stephanie Paul serves as part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Director of Women’s Addiction Ministry. She has been married for almost 30 years to Sesky Paul who is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. Stephanie serves alongside him as Care Group leaders in their church. They have two grown children.
Her single focus in ministry at Keswick is to image Christ in grace and truth to wounded and hurting women, encouraging them to make Jesus the truest Lover of their soul and the One in whom all hope lies.

1 http://www.soulshepherding.org/category/devotional-stories/