I was listening to a sermon by TD Jakes yesterday entitled "Never Give Up." In this particular message he spoke of the Shunamite woman (2Kings 4) who appeared to have it made financially in so many ways that she built an addition on to her house for the prophet Elisha. Elisha was taken back so by her hospitality he wanted to do something for her in return but she told him she had no immediate needs.
Elisha spoke with someone else about wanting to bless this woman and learned that she had no children. He later prophesied that she would have a child around the same time in a year and it came to pass. However when the child became a man he fell ill while with his dad and later died in his mothers arms. The woman refused to accept this as the end all and be all for her beloved son and traveled to see the man of God and requested that he come and pray for her son and he was revived.
Bishop Jakes later went on to say that as Christians in our walk we must be RELENTLESS. I took that advice to heart. We must never give up on those dreams and desires that God has placed in our heart.
I am a person who is feverishly working toward the vision that God placed in my heart back when I was 2 or 3 years old. I have had the dream to establish a community center for children with special thought given to children who come from homes of working families where money isn't always readily available. For years I have gone back and forth on my pursuit of this goal only to find myself feeling empty, unfulfilled and hopeless when I stepped off my path.
After being introduced to the world of social media, I have reconnected with so many children and young adults from my past now well into their thirties who were relentless in their pursuits and now eat from the fruits of their own labor. Their pictures, stories and post inspired me to believe in my dream once again. I am now on that road and guess what? It's not easy, it's no bed of roses, but I go to bed each and every night feeling fulfilled and balanced. My hearts desire does not exclude my family, it includes my husband and four children. We spend our evenings working and playing side by side.
As the months go by and there arises a time when I feel sluggish or things look like it's just not meant to be. I can reflect on the image of the Shunamite woman or many other modern day men and women who refused to give up.
There's a local track coach who signs each email with a quote that says "winners never quit." I have never met a winner who quit before reaching their destination, it goes against the laws of nature.
My new mantra "As long as there's breathe, there's an opportunity for me to make it."
I hope that this little story has blessed you as it has blessed me. Remember God loves you and has an awesome plan for your life!
