Encouragement

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Many a good idea has come to the end of its journey prematurely. Many a good men have decided it just isn’t worth the risk or the hard work. I followed the American Inventor show pretty closely in its last four segments. I like seeing the underdog, per say, watch his or her dream come true.

I have always shared the opinion that there is nothing new under the sun. God is the Master Creator and He has given us the ability to draw upon His wisdom and creativity. Technically speaking, to have a creative mind is a gift from God.

As a creative thinker myself, I have had many an opportunity to fail as well as succeed. Failing is part of succeeding. If we give up during the failing process, we will never succeed. When we see that we will never succeed, we soon began to falter.

The only person I know who has never failed is God. The book of Deuteronomy says,

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 4: 31)

Zephaniah 3:5 says, “Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail.”

Many years ago at the tender age of sixteen, I decided to believe God at His Word and to follow Him. Does this mean I have lived a perfect, blameless life? No. As I look at myself today, I am grateful that I have not given up on that same passionate desire to serve Him that encompassed me many years ago. During many a dry season or time of testing, I’ve been able to hold firm to that which I know. It is one thing to have a plan fail before your very eyes. It is another thing to allow your failing plan to cause you to falter in your faith.

I love the book of Habakkuk. He was a man after God’s own heart.

Habakkuk 3:17 says,

“Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in
the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

The prophet Habakkuk knew what it was like to keep the faith in spite of adversity. He knew what it meant to run the race to the end. He knew the great price, the great reward that comes in never giving up. Habakkuk is a hero. A hero of the faith!

Janusz Liberkowski, the winner of the “The American Inventor”, experienced tragedy and adversity. Yet, all the while he never lost his passion to make a difference in this world. His faith did not falter when he lost his baby girl Anecia, whom he lovingly named his invention after. Janusz is somewhat of a modern day Habakkuk. I don’t think he is a prophet, but he sure knows how to face adversity and still hold onto what He believes in. He had a plan to raise his little girl to adulthood. I am sure he dreamed of her first day in school. Perhaps he dreamed of her losing her first tooth, playing with her in the park, her first date and her wedding. His plans failed when she was killed in a car accident. However, he took a bad situation and found something good to do with it. He did not falter.

I choose to surround myself with people like Habakkuk and Janusz. I believe if we hang around people who won’t lose focus on the bigger picture we will be winners too. We don’t have to invent anything or even create anything to be a winner. To be a winner means you refuse to be a quitter.

If you are passionate about something, and are striving to do what God placed you on this earth to do, without faltering, you too are a winner. Remember, failing is not faltering. My husband has a great way of expressing failure. He says, “Failures are nothing but challenges and opportunities to excel!” I think that is one of things that I like about him most. He isn’t a quitter.

Lastly, some people whose plans fail tend to place fault on someone else. We saw it in some of the preliminary shows of American Inventor. These are the kind of folks I call “falters.” They blame anyone but their selves for their mistakes and failures. Then they never try again -they just quit.

Think where we would be today if people like Moses, Joshua, Elisha, Paul, or even Jesus decided to bag their plans and be quitters. We would never be able to be redeemed. We would never have been able to hear the Good News, and we would never be able to keep the faith. I thank God for the heroes of the faith…those of old and those walking with us today!

Copyright © 2006 Passion House Ministries, Jane E Morin

www.passionhouseministry.com

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