Never Give Up: Part 1

This is the first of a two-part blog, which sounds obvious and annoyingly contradictory. However, by reading both entries, you will likely understand my point. And, if you spend any time in overseas service, the experience will prove that two opposites can be true at the same time. For example, my first supervisor told me to find "low-lying fruit." In other words, locate and engage with the Muslims who were ready to come to faith right away. He said that based on the population, there was no time to wait for and work with people who were not ready to believe. At the same time, he taught that Muslims take a long time and many interactions before they are willing to follow Jesus. Therefore, I must develop time-tested relationships with the people.

In time, I learned that he was correct with both points and that the only way I knew what to do at any given time was to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance. Isn't it great that we serve a faithful God!?!

I will use a funny story to illustrate my point of never giving up.

I often travelled by train in India. Once, after teaching in Delhi, I took the metro to the train station. I had had a cold the previous two weeks, so I felt weak and had a splitting headache. I was looking forward to reaching the train and lying on a top bunk for the ten-hour journey.

I was running a little late, and without thinking, I got off the metro at the New Delhi train station and climbed about three hundred steps toward the station entrance. When I reached the front of that station, I scanned a TV screen for my train and corresponding platform number when I realized I needed to be at the Old Delhi station. That station was two more stops on the underground metro line.

This slip-up made me very late, so I rushed back to the metro, ran down the stairs, and travelled to the two remaining stops. When I reached the Old Delhi station, I began an even larger climb up to the station with a computer bag and a large duffle bag in tow. I was ten minutes late for the train when I reached this train station. But if India and missions have taught me anything, it has taught me never to give up.

I rushed to the platform via a passenger bridge and saw my train begin to move. With my heavy bags and headache, I could not run fast, so I moved as fast as possible. I started down the stairs to the platform when a big man with an even bigger bag on his head started up the stairs. He was looking down, lumbering up the stairs, so when I got close enough, I let out a very loud yell. That caused him to jump just enough so that I could squeeze by. I never stopped or looked back at him.

By this time, my train was one football field ahead of me and moving away. Don’t give up! I kept walking, and then the train stopped for a few seconds. Perhaps it was because I was the first and last Westerner rushing down the platform in pursuit of the train. It started moving again, but by that time, I was able to catch up and jump onto the moving train. Sweating and out of breath, I thanked God for His timing.

I have many more fun train stories, but this one illustrates a worker's need to be persistent. You will make plans which turn out differently than you wish. You come across both physical and spiritual roadblocks on a regular basis. Sometimes, you will even be discouraged by teammates and the people you are trying to serve. However, remember that God is at work and wants you to succeed. Our job as Kingdom workers is to shake off the discouragement and keep pressing forward.