Never Give Up
In 2006, at the age of 44, Dean Karnazes completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, ending with the New York City marathon, which he completed in three hours thirty seconds. His book, Ultramarathon Man, was the number seven bestselling sports book worldwide in 2005. Time Magazine named him one of the top 100 most influential people of 2007.
I learned of Mr. Karnazes through the “Quote of the Day” e-mail I receive, which attributed him with this quotation:
“Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must just never give up.”
- Dean Karnazes
. I have thought of Karnazes’ quote each time I’ve picked up my Bible this week.
Come December, there are many reasons people may give for not finishing their Bible reading projects. Let me count the ways:
Ø I didn’t have enough time.
Ø I didn’t have enough motivation.
Ø I didn’t have enough knowledge to understand the Bible.
Ø I had never read the Bible before.
Ø I knew I would fail before I started; I’m not surprised.
All these excuses and more are yours for the asking. Just quit your reading program and, well, give up.
Instead, why not remember that this is Sunday morning, only the third Sunday in a new year. While you may have fallen a little behind in your reading plans, time is still available. Take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, sit down with your favorite reading device, and read.
Jesus began a new way of life for us on Sunday. He rose from the dead not on the Sabbath, the Old Testament’s monument to the law, but on Sunday, the first day of the week. At the dawning of a new day, a new era began. If you are struggling with guilt, real or imagined, over not being able to complete the past week’s readings, take some time, (maybe this afternoon), and plan out a strategy to get caught up this next week. There are times when I miss my daily Bible reading time but I can try to read twice as much the next day. That doesn’t need to be a regular habit, of course, but, over time, it’s valuable to keep you on schedule with your reading.
Once again,I thank each of you for making this journey with me. I’ve not made any OneCalls yet this year to our group, but they’re coming, along with the e-mails and texts. God bless you.
Keep reading!