Get Up!

It’s over. I finally completed one of the most arduous tasks of my life. I earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration at the age of 57. I have done some difficult things in my life but this was by far the most difficult. As I reflect back on this accomplishment some thoughts come to mind regarding why some people succeed and others do not.

Paul Harvey, the radio commentator, is credited with stating the following. If I were ever successful enough that someone was to ask me the secret to my success, I would respond that “every time I fell down, I got up”.

That really sums it up nicely, doesn’t it? We have all fallen down or been knocked down. Most of us had dreams of how life would turn out and yet life seldom turns out the way we hope. We make plans and then life gets in the way. Troubles come. The road is more difficult than we imagined.

My 15 month old granddaughter, Madeleine, falls down constantly. She walks well for her age, but sometimes she is just in too big of a hurry. She trips over her feet. She trips over her toys (Yes, Nana and I have contributed to the abundance of toys she has). Despite all of the falls, she never once seems to think about staying on the floor. Falling for her is seemingly just part of the daily routine. She walks some and she falls some. Falling down is not a big deal. Why, maybe it is even expected.

Assuming that Madeleine is not all that different than most kids, then I have to wonder when we as humans quit believing that falling down is part of life. Why do we believe that things will not include some falling down? Why do we get so upset when things aren’t perfect? Why do we expect life to be easy?

Successful people have apparently determined that failure is not terminal. Maybe you remember the stories of great people who suffered tremendous setbacks in their life. George Washington was a failure as a young military leader. Abe Lincoln suffered several political disappointments in his career. Remember Thomas Edison’s attempts at finding the right filament for the incandescent light bulb? Edison said that his failed attempts at finding the right filament where actually successful attempts at finding what would not work.

Winston Churchill was repeatedly rejected by the people of Great Britain before becoming Prime Minister. Maybe those personal failures were responsible for his oft quoted speech from 1941 in which he said, “Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

The Bible certainly has a lot to say about failures. Joseph ended up in prison for honoring his moral convictions. Noah was ridiculed for his boat-building efforts. David committed despicable personal failures in judgment in front of his entire nation. Peter lied about knowing Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 Paul writes, Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.

Don’t misunderstand. We all want to give up at some point. We have all asked if it is worth it. The difference is that some give up easily and some fight on.

Seek God’s will for your life and if you believe He is leading you in a particular direction, then fight on. You will be knocked down and you will struggle. Learn from your struggles and keep going. Get up and get on with what God has for your life.