One Step at a Time

        How many times have you come upon a task in your life that seem impossible? My Father built one of our houses from the very beginning. It started with a hole in the back yard and then went to footers and cement walls. He had the plan in his head and went through each step methodically until one day, we moved into the basement of that house. The top would be built on six years later. When we begin something new, they often seem formidable at first. I used to run track and I often had to run the mile race. I had to do so many laps around the track. The first lap was easy. But, then they became harder and harder to do. Probably one of the hardest ones was the next to the last lap. I often wondered if I would make it to the end. I would often hear the words, "Don't give up." Then, we would come to the last lap. Some times, I even found enough strength to run a little faster on that lap. There are many things in life, both physically and spiritually, where we need to hear the words, "Don't give up." It's the same as, not quitting or just plain hanging in there until the end. When you look at the whole picture, things sometimes seem impossible. Yet, they can be accomplished, one step at a time. You could climb the steps of the Washington Monument, all 898 of them, or you could take the elevator up for ten cents (1960). The ride down was always free. I only climbed the steps one time. Often times during that climb, I would hear the words in my mind, "Don't give up." First Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 

         Working for the Lord where you are at is always an important task. Sometimes, the work seems as if it will never get done because the task seems to be so large. We hear of "going into all the world to preach the gospel." That seems like a very large task for just you or for just me. All of us together can make a difference however as we get the task done one person at a time. Don't give up. To begin reading the Bible through on January task seems like a nice thing to do but around April, you might begin to slow down as you have probably missed a couple of days along the way and you are already behind. Don't give up. Memorizing Scripture sounds admirable to almost all of us. We start out but then begin to falter. Don't give up. Applying God's Word to your life also sounds like something we all need to do. We find some principles and begin application. Then Satan attacks and we find ourselves seemingly going backwards. Don't give up. You may have signed up for a couple of boards or committees or even the choir. It's didn't seem too difficult to do at first. Now, your time seems stretched. Don't give up. All of this to say that we need to keep going no matter what. God will give us the strength to make it. An old radio announcer in Washington, D.C., Dale Crowley, used to say at the end of his broadcast, "Keep on, keeping on." Don't give up. Praise God today that He always is present and never leaves us alone.