I know, what does an old fire escape have to do with determination?  If anything, it would be about being determined to get away from a fire and save my life…! 

          Over the years I’ve known people who were so determined that nothing stopped them from achieving their dreams.  They stuck with it through rough times with their spouse and had some of the strongest relationships I’ve seen. 

And, I’ve met some who gave up too easily whenever trials came along.  It seemed as though, when the fires of life got too hot, they had an escape route ready and, often took it.  Not that there’s anything wrong with having a safety net and plan if things don’t work out the way we’d like them to.

          For some, it’s when their job would get tough, they didn’t like their boss, or felt they weren’t being treated fairly, they would quit and go somewhere else never staying at one place of employment too long.  I call them, ‘job hoppers’.

For others, it has been relationships that didn’t seem to meet their needs.  They were easily offended, had too many high expectations of the other person, and felt that they weren’t somehow fulfilled.  The minute something went wrong, they were off to another love (even if they were married).

What has happened to that old-fashioned characteristic known as determination today?  Some people come by it naturally.  Some people learn it the hard way.   I’ve always felt a sense of determination.  Yes, I’ve quit jobs, but certainly not after a few months and not for reasons like I’ve seen.  I’ve never quit a relationship, however, and that’s to a fault.

Balance is the key to determination.  Knowing when to quit is what wisdom brings us over the years.  The best may be just around the corner but, if we quit a job or relationship too soon, we may just miss out on it.  There are great rewards to determination in our lives but, if we’re always looking for the easy way out the first time we’re offended, hurt, feel unappreciated, etc., it will be very hard to stay dedicated to anything we try.

That escape route is great to have, but, having an attitude of ‘sticking to it’, although it’s not the easiest route, may just bring us the greatest rewards.   So today, here’s to sticking to it when times get tough, when we feel like giving up, when we feel unappreciated, when that someone we love lets us down, and when that other job, or person, seems to have everything we need, before giving it our best right where we are today.

Wishing you a blessed week friends!

Brad