Getting up one last time

Are you a quitter, or someone that keeps on going regardless of the outcome? Perhaps you think that it's easier to drop everything and give up, and it often is. Sometimes what we're striving for has run its course, and it's time to let go, but we must first take the time to discern if it's advisable to stop whatever we're doing, or keep trying.

Everyone experiences hard times. They are often so painful that we think we can't take another setback or tragedy. So what do we do? Making the right choice is what determines our present and future happiness, and it's unlikely that we can change the situation or pretend it didn't happen. What we may be trying to overcome can be to survive a physical or emotional hurdle, and we wonder if it will ever end so our life will be bearable again. In spite of what's causing the need to keep going on, we mustn't stop trying. We may be attempting to run a marathon, finish a degree or own our business. Maybe our health is in question and we are depressed, forcing us to give up or seek help. Regardless, we must keep our outlook as positive as we can.

Mary was having a hard time adjusting to the death of her husband, and two daughters. She was the only family member left and fighting to hold on. I was with her during all three of the tragedies and I admired her strength. She is still striving to keep making a life. Her main source of comfort, is her God. As I last talked with Mary recently, she shared that tomorrow would be a good day. She has learned that it isn't what she owns, wears, or what she has accomplished, that keeps her happy. She has to decide that today and tomorrow will be good days because, ultimately, it's Mary's perspective that makes the difference. Rather than giving up, she keeps "getting" up.

We are changed with each struggle that we encounter, either for better or for worse. Hopefully we become more understanding and compassionate--able to relate to others caught in the same or like circumstances. Many times when we have gone through adversity, such as undesirable living conditions, the breakup of a relationship, or the death of someone we love, we come out of the experience a stronger individual. We have been forced to admit and acknowledge our feelings and push forward. If we stay in the same defeated and dismal mood of unhappiness, any future chances of our moving on and making a new life, disappear. No one wants to live in such a state. When I am wondering what course of action I should take after I experience a grief-stricken occurrence, I refer to a part of St. Paul's statement in Scripture, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phillippians 3:13-14). St. Paul refused to give up even though he had committed numerous violent acts in his past, those of which he was ashamed. Instead, he predicted victory in the future, as he "pressed on toward his mark." Although the goal or the race we're running may be different than St. Paul's, the point is that we forget the errors and unhappiness we've endured during our past, and keep on going until we arrive at our finish line.

When we look at the lives of numerous famous people in the world, some of the most successful and noteworthy have first, failed in their ventures. Two such people are Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. They encountered such dramatic setbacks that most would have given up, yet they refused to retreat. Regardless of the criticism they received from onlookers that told them they'd never make it, they persevered. Rather than quit before they met their goals, they kept on. That same persistence that is evident in successful people can be the antidote for those attempting to recover from drugs, alcohol and other vices, so I urge you to "get back up, just one more time," and try again.