DON'T GIVE UP!

SIR EDMUND HILLARY successfully climbed Mount Everest in 1953 after two failed attempts. Following one of his failures, he returned to a hero's welcome in London, England, where the lords, ladies, and powerful people of the British Empire attended a banquet held in his honour. Behind the speakers' platform were huge blown-up photographs of Mount Everest. When Hillary arose to receive the acclaim of the distinguished audience, he turned around and faced the mountain and said, "Mount Everest, you have defeated me. However, I will return and defeat you. Because youcan't get any bigger but I can."

We can get bigger too, and overcome any difficult circumstances, because we have a GREAT, BIG WONDERFUL GOD who is supporting and strengthening us. A God with unlimited resources and capacity. A God who "giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." (Isaiah 40:29)

One gospel song includes the lyrics:

Don't give up when you're down.
Let the wondrous love of Jesus get your feet back on the ground.
You can overcome your trials, trade your frown in for a smile.
Don't give up when you're down.

Likewise, there are numerous encouraging Scriptures...

"Just think of Him who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself - reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials - so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds." (Hebrews 12:3 - Amplified Bible)

"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint.... for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint." (Galatians 6:9 - Amplified Bible)

"Therefore we do not become discouraged - utterly spiritless, exhausted and wearied out... for our light momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory - beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!" (2 Cor 4:16,17 – Amplified Bible)

Don't forget: Unbelief puts our circumstance between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.

And a poem to conclude...

Two frogs fell into a can of cream - Or so I've heard it told.
The sides of the can were shiny and steep; the cream was deep and cold.

"Oh, what's the use?" said No. 1, " 'tis fate - no help's around -
Good-bye, my friend! Good-bye, sad world!” And weeping still, he drowned.

But No. 2 of sterner stuff, dog paddled in surprise,
The while he wiped his creamy face, and dried his creamy eyes.

"I'll swim awhile, at least," he sighed - Or so it has been said -
"It wouldn't really help the world if one more frog was dead."

An hour or two he kicked and swam - not once he stopped to mutter,
But kicked and swam, and swam and kicked, then hopped out, via butter.