Dear Family,
When I coached high school basketball, I would teach my players the acrostic DIMITT which was to remind them that “Determination Is More Important Than Talent." Determination is a wonderful quality to possess. It is the key ingredient for success in any endeavor we undertake. I remember someone describing determination as "the ability to hang in there for just one more round, to get up one more time than we get knocked down.”
A young fellow wanted to be a star journalist, but he lived in a small town where there was not much opportunity for advancement. One day the stream upstream broke and the town was flooded. He got into a rowboat and headed out to look for a story to write. He found a lady sitting on her rooftop. He tied up his boat and told her what he was after. They both watched as various items floated by.
He said to the lady, "Now there is a story."
"Oh no said the lady that's not a story." Finally, a hat floats by and then does a 180-degree turn, goes upstream a way and does another 180-degree turn. The fellow says, "Now there is a real story to write about."
"She said, "Oh no, that's not a story. That's my husband Hayford. He said he was going to mow the lawn come hell or high water."
Now there is a man who wasn't real bright, but you couldn't criticize him for his lack of determination. He possessed the determination of a Ulysses S Grant who said, "One of my suppositions has always been when I started to go anywhere or do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished."
The Apostle Paul was like that, wasn't he? He writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (Living Bible) "We are pressed on every side by trouble, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we can't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We are down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going."
I love that kind of determination. When Jesus tells us to "seek first the kingdom of God," the very word 'seek' implies a strong-minded pursuit. J. B. Phillips paraphrases the idea with the words "set your heart on”. The Amplified Bible says, "Aim at and strive after." The thought in all of these translations is whatever the obstacle you face, don't ever give in and don't ever give up."
I don't know what you are facing today or how great the temptation might be to throw in the towel. You may be thinking to yourself, I would like to pick up, pack up and pull out. I would love to get out of Dodge as fast as I can.
Nehemiah faced the temptation to do just that when those around him began looking at a half-built wall surrounding Jerusalem. The people began to question whether they had the strength to complete the task. And with the critics quick to plant the seeds of discouragement, and enemies threatening the lives of the workers, Nehemiah remains undeterred, and he presses forward despite the obstacles. Nehemiah encourages his people by his example of determination. "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14.
Nehemiah knew that "the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." and he wasn't about to quit. When we are faced with such situations, we need to do two things: "Remember the Lord," as Nehemiah exhorted his people to do, and "resist retreat" knowing that "The Lord who is great and awesome (will) will fight for (you)."
Yours in faith and friendship,
Pastor Tom
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