When Things Go Wrong Don’t Quit

Here’s a “look back” worth remembering.

Over 30 years ago, Derek Redmond made Olympic History.

A world class sprinter, he was competing in the 400 meter semi-finals at the1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

He didn’t win the race, but he did win something much greater.

On the world stage, onlookers witnessed one of the greatest examples of a father’s love.

The whole scene remains inspiring to this day.

Do you remember this?

Can you imagine?

A painful torn hamstring in the middle of the race.

He could have given up, but he didn’t.

With the love of his devoted father helping him across the finish line, this moment became one of the most memorable in sports.

It’s encouraging videos like this one that gives a beautiful visual of our Heavenly Father’s love (which is immeasurably greater) for us.

He knows our struggles.

No doubt, we too will face painful times – the result of sin in our fallen world.

But whatever you do, when faced with difficult challenges, don’t quit.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When 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 if he’d 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 afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

By “The People’s Poet, Edgar A. Guest. Now in the public domain.