Never Quit!
For many generations, my Daddy’s ancestors farmed a homestead in Southwest Missouri near a little town called Long Lane. Ever heard of this place? Don’t feel bad if your answer is no because most people have never heard of Long Lane, Missouri!
Many years ago, a huge sinkhole violently dropped into the earth and, according to Grandma Adams, Bennett Springs stopped flowing for a day. Grandpa and Grandma always warned Daddy and his nine siblings to never go near the dangerous sinkhole area. One day as Grandpa’s old, one-eyed horse was searching for Jonathan apples that had fallen off a nearby fruit tree, she wandered off course and fell into that treacherous sinkhole. The animal cried piteously for hours as Grandpa tried to figure out what to do. Finally, Grandpa decided trying to retrieve the useless horse was not worth the effort, and the sinkhole needed to be covered up anyway.
Grandpa invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. Each person grabbed a shovel and began to dump dirt into the sinkhole. At first, the horse realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, she quieted down. A few shovel loads later, Grandpa finally looked into the sinkhole and was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit her back, the horse was doing something amazing. She would spit the dirt out of her mouth, shake the dirt off of her body, and take a step up. As Grandpa and his neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the horse, the horse continued to spit the dirt out of her mouth, shake the dirt off her body, and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was greatly surprised as the useless, old, one-eyed horse stepped up over the edge of the sinkhole and happily trotted off to grab an apple from Grandma’s favorite tree!
How does this story apply to your life?
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of your sinkhole of despair, failure, and pain is to not stop, to never quit!
Be stubborn, be annoying, be persistent.
You must keep trying, keep going, and keep fighting to succeed, even if this means you have to change the battle plan.
The next time you feel down and out, think just say to yourself, “if the one-eyed horse and the legally blind gal can overcome their adversities, so can I!”
Remember, our world needs what only you have to give!
Champion Harlem’s Proud Mary and Deborah