Never give up in missions – Unless you are riding a dead horse.

This is the second part of the two-part blog—the first illustrated racing for a train to show that we should never give up. I can only imagine that big guy's look when I yelled so loud that he jumped out of my way. Rocking the boat can be so much fun.

Now, I will share another experience that turned out differently. The story emphasizes the need to move on when a plan or wish is not working out. I lived in Lucknow for over a year and knew my way around the city well. I did not have a firm handle on the language, but that did not stop me from meeting people and visiting many areas of my city. While I was out one day, I got caught in a traffic circle that was completely jammed. In India, having the "right-of-way" means going right away before someone else gets in front of you.

For whatever reason, I decided to park my bike and start walking. Within five minutes, a shopkeeper waved me into his shoe store. He did not speak English, but I learned he had pictures with the former WWE wrestler, The Great Khali, and that he was a bodybuilder. We developed a friendship, and eventually, I met one of his brothers, who had a small optical store next door. The brother did speak English.

I hoped and prayed that the brothers would come to faith (they were Shia Muslims) and that they would lead many more people to salvation. I prayed for them, shared Bible stories, gave them literature, and even debated the finer points of Christianity with them. Additionally, I allowed them to borrow my car on one occasion. I borrowed a friend's large vehicle to take their entire family to the opening of a second branch of the optical store. I tried for many years to both show and share the gospel message with these brothers, but nothing seemed to have worked.

The saddest event happened on my last night in that city. My family and I were moving to Bangladesh and had to sell most of our large items before leaving. The English-speaking brother "bought" some of those items but continually delayed payment. My flight was scheduled to leave at 7 AM the following day, so at 8 PM the night before, he told me to meet him at the market. He gave me a fraction of what he owed me and said that was all he had. Then he told me that he always thought I worked for the CIA and was a government spy.

I was deflated. I thought I had clarified that issue with him many years prior, but I guess not. In summary, I spent countless hours trying to reach this man and his family, only to find out that it was to no avail. Since then, I made one more visit to the city, where I returned to his shop. We spoke briefly, and he told me he had gotten married. However, he was not interested in talking any further.

Guaranteed, you will need to decide when to press on, and when to move on. The decision will not be easy on either side and will probably include second thoughts. This list of principles may help your decision-making process.

First, only some of your ideas are golden. There is no silver bullet or set formula that guarantees miraculous results. Therefore, be humble enough to concede defeat. Many of the most successful people became that way because they learned from their failures.

Second, be willing to try. Do not allow the fear of failure to intimidate you into inaction. Another suggestion my first supervisor shared with me was, "You are going to fail, just make sure you fail trying." I wish this Shia family had come to faith, and I wish I had acknowledged their lack of interest much earlier on, but I did my best in the situation.

Third, when your ideas and attempts do work, share the glory. In other words, immediately thank God and praise Him for the results. Next, politely offer the details to multiple groups. Your prayer partners would love to praise God with you. Also, fellow workers who are discouraged for lack of results can adapt your methods or insights into their work. And hopefully, your co-workers will want to join you in praising God for the results.

Finally, and most importantly, cover everything you do in prayer. Only God can reveal when you should persevere and when you should move on. Pray, read His word, and listen to others so that you can better follow His will.

And if you are still not sure what to do, rest in Him. Knowing that He loved you before you were born and that He has made your salvation secure in Jesus Christ.