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Winston Churchill said, “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backwards so he can continue to breathe without letting go.” 

Over and over, my Dad has said to me, “It takes absolutely no effort to quit, anyone can quit, quitters are a dime a dozen.” Many people lack determination and persistence in their lives. If you want to be successful in life, then you must learn to be a person of persistence and endurance. Persistent people begin their success when many others quit. In my life I have found that the more diligently I work, the harder it is for me to quit. Quitting is a habit; however, persistence is also a habit. Josh Billings said, “Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists of the ability to stick to something until it gets there.” We can learn alot from a little stamp. Never worry about how much money, ability, or equipment you start with, just begin with a million dollars worth of determination.

When it comes to our walk with God, we may also struggle with being persistent. Some days we can be so on fire for God, but then the next day it seems that we are so far away from Him. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 the Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”  We must learn to continually lean on God and trust Him no matter what is going on in our lives. We are creatures of habit. Let's become consistent in leaning on Him and trusting Him with all aspects of our lives.

I will close with this illustration: Far Easterners plant a tree called the Chinese Bamboo. During the first four years, they water and fertilize the plant with seemingly little or no results. Then the fifth year, they again apply water and fertilizer, and in five weeks time the tree grows ninety feet in height! This begs the question, did the Chinese Bamboo tree grow ninety feet in five weeks or five years? The answer is, it grew ninety feet in five years. If at any time during those five years the people had stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died. 

It often seems that our plans are failing and in turn we just want to quit. It seems we have watered and fertilized the tree but it is not growing. Galatians 6:9 tells us, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” We all know what it feels like to quit, but may we all strive to see what happens if we don’t!