Never Stop Trying

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9

From the time I was very young, my mom modeled so well what it looked like to support and cheer for the people you care about. I started playing sports when I was 4-years-old, and I can count on one hand the number of games my mom couldn’t attend. She was always the loudest person in the stands, cheering for me and screaming for me…except for this one particular game. 

I was a sophomore in high school playing on the varsity basketball team, and we were facing one of our biggest rivals in their home gym. I was the shooting guard on the team, meaning one of my main roles was to shoot, specifically - 3 pointers. And while normally I was pretty good shooter, this particular night I was having a tough time. 

As the game progressed, I missed shot after shot after shot. While I don’t remember exactly how many shots I took, my mom likes to claim that it was somewhere in the vicinity of 30-40, which is pretty rare for high school girls basketball. (I’m kind of hoping she’s wrong, but I have no proof.)

Anyways, it was one of the worst games I’ve ever played. It felt like I couldn’t hit the ocean with a beach ball. And as I added another failed shot attempt to my stat sheet, my mom - who normally was super loud and supportive - just put her face in her hands. We laugh and joke about this game now, and she’ll tell me “Kristen, all I kept thinking was ‘Stop shooting and pass the ball!’”

But I never stopped shooting. I kept trying. And even though I had missed several shots throughout the game, I finally hit my stride in the fourth quarter and ended the night with 18 points. 

I didn’t quit. I didn’t give up. I didn’t stop trying to fulfill my role on the team, because as my dad likes to say, “Shooters shoot.” So I kept shooting. And the lesson I took from that game has stuck with me ever since. There’s something to be said for perseverance in a culture that’s so quick to quit when life gets hard. But if God has given you a gift or a talent, then you should never stop trying to use that gift or talent for His Kingdom, even when you face opposition and failure.

I can absolutely guarantee that the path you’re on is not going to be easy. You’re going to encounter obstacles. You’re going to face rejection. You’re going to be told to keep waiting or that you’re not ready. But that doesn’t mean you should quit, and it doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel.

What it does mean, is that you should keep pushing. Keep working. Keep fighting. And keep pursuing the goals and dreams God has placed in your heart with the talents He’s blessed you with. I don’t want you to get down the road one day and regret giving up on your calling because life got hard. I want you to have no regrets, knowing that you did everything in your power to honor the Lord with the life and the gifts He’s given you. Just like Scripture says, if you don’t give up on doing good, you will reap a harvest. So don’t give up friend. Never stop trying.