Don’t Quit!

Mary Southerland says, "I know some of you are ready to give up and quit."

 "A great pianist was scheduled to perform for a small country town. 

Everyone in the town was excited since they rarely had the opportunity to hear a famous musician.

 A young mother was especially excited. Her son had been taking piano lessons and showed great promise. 

However, he hated to practice. His mother was hoping that if her son saw the great pianist perform, he would be motivated to take his music more seriously.

 The night of the concert finally arrived, and it seemed as if everyone in town had come. 

As the young mother settled her son in his seat, her attention turned to the crowd pouring in. 

Everyone was dressed in their finest, and a buzz of excitement filled the concert hall. 

No one noticed the little boy as he slipped out of his seat and made his way down the aisle toward the stage. 

No one noticed the little boy as he walked onto the stage, climbed up on the piano stool and began to play 'Chopsticks.'

The concert hall fell silent as every eye turned toward the stage. 

People began to yell, 'Where is that child’s mother? How did he get on stage? Somebody get him down immediately! This is so embarrassing for our town!

 The guest artist was standing in the wings, getting ready to make his entrance when he heard the shouts and saw and heard the little boy. 

Grabbing his jacket, the great pianist ran onto the stage, came up behind the little boy and placed his masterful hands on the keyboard beside the hands of the small child. 

The little boy was startled but did not move as the man whispered in the boy’s ear, 'Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Keep going.'

 As the little boy began to play again, the great pianist began to play as well, composing a beautiful counter melody to 'Chopsticks.'

I know some of you are ready to give up and quit. 

Some mountain is standing between you and the dream you thought was sure to become a reality. 

You think God has lost track of where you are and what you are going through. He hasn’t.

 I know you don’t understand why a loving God would allow so much pain to saturate this broken world and perpetuate such loss and hurt. I don’t either. 

But God’s ways are so much higher than my ways, and His thoughts are for my eternal good – not my temporary comfort.

 I am banking on eternity. I am counting on the character of God and His heart of unconditional, unmerited and undeserved love.

God’s forgiveness gives me the strength to get out of bed each morning, and His peace is my comfort in the dark, lonely night. 

Like you, I sometimes ask God why He has allowed a circumstance to exist. I have questioned His favor and allowed fear and worry to make me doubt His plan. 

And I have to tell you that I can now look back and see so many of the question marks yanked into exclamation points in my life. 

I am so thankful that He said 'no' to so many of the prayers I desperately wanted Him to answer with yes.' He is God. He is able and He is more than enough.

No matter where you are today, know He is with you and that His heart is for you. Don’t quit. 

He is not angry with you. You are His daughter, [son], the apple of His eye and His cherished child. Don’t give up. 

Right now, surrender all of your pain to Him. Shed your tears, knowing He will collect them all and one day pour them back into your life as a refreshing rain of restoration and healing.

Keep going. Ask your questions, knowing Heaven is not in a panic and that your God really is who He says He is and will do what He has promised to do. 

He simply waits for you to trust Him.

Let’s Pray

 Father, I come to You like a child. My faith is small and my strength almost gone. I am desperate for You. I don’t understand what is happening in my life, and I am ready to give up. I want to quit. Please don’t let me, Lord. 

Give me Your strength and hope for today. Help me to keep going, trusting You every step of the way.

 In Jesus’ name,
 Amen.

 Read Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” .

Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Check out Mary’s E-Book Bible Study, Strength for the Storm, if you need help navigating the storm in your life. MP3 downloads, CDs and books are also available in Mary’s online store along with FREE resourceson her site.

Don’t Quit! by Mary Southerland  June 28, 2012

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Worth Saving by Max Lucado:

"No one believed in people more than Jesus did. He saw something in Peter worth developing, in the adulterous woman worth forgiving, and in John worth harnessing.

He saw something in the thief on the cross, and what he saw was worth saving. And in the life of a wild-eyed, bloodthirsty extremist, He saw the apostle of grace. He believed in Saul.

Don’t give up on your Saul. When others write him off, give him another chance. Stay strong. Call him brother. Call her sister. It’s too soon to throw in the towel. Talk to your Saul about Jesus, and pray.

God is at work behind the scenes. And remember this: God never sends you where he hasn’t already been. By the time you reach your Saul, who knows what you’ll find.

God used Saul, who became Paul, to touch the world.

Has God given you a Saul?

From Cast of Characters

Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com

Tomorrow’s post: Mind Sets: Prayer Note #78  Dutch Sheets

Today’s treasure truth #34: If you are “born again”, you are bringing every thought into captivity. 2 Cor. 10:5

Our thought for today: Anchors are made to go below the surface. God's Word has strength to help in storms. 

So You Plan to Marry a Man 

Check out the new cover and title: 
Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse  

Kindle $2.99  Bridal Shower Devotional 

(Wisdom for Women planning to get married)

Samples of Jean's crafts 
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