My Grandmother used to always say that we were related to the person who coined the phrase “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I never could tell if it was the truth or not. I’m pretty sure she always said that after I defiantly refused to eat her yams at Thanksgiving dinner. Nevertheless, it’s a powerful statement and one that I have been contemplating as I return back to the work of leading the church. Of course, it’s difficult to define what “succeeding” means at any given moment. It certainly is not static. It’s a moving target. Perhaps that is why we are to keep trying. It’s the journey.
I read an inspiring story recently that helped lift my spirits. In 1935, Thomas Carlyle had just completed what he considered his magnum opus after four long years of studying and writing. He delivered the manuscript “History of the French Revolution” to his good friend and fellow writer John Stuart Mill who was to review it and add his notes. In a tragic turn of events, Mill’s maid mistakenly tossed the manuscript in the fire confusing it for wastepaper. All but four singed pages were burned completely. Hysterical, Mill rushed to Carlyle’s door and relayed the terrible news. It was devastating. There were no second copies. It was gone, vanished, up in smoke.
Carlyle struggled to even attempt picking up his pen again. The first draft became an ideal in his mind and he convinced himself that this second effort was trash. He had to fight through distractions, discouragement, financial hardship, but he pushed through. It took him the better part of the year, eventually he finished. In his review, John Stuart Mill would say, “no greater work of genius, either historical or poetical, has been produced in this country for many years.” Thomas Carlyle had produced a masterpiece.
I don’t know what adversity you are experiencing, or what your current struggle is, but let me add some weight to this tale of perseverance. “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” I’m confident of this. Whether you are taking the first step down a long road, or taking up an enormous task, try, try again. Don’t quit now. Your God is too good and your calling too great for you to give up now.