One of the sayings that was prominently displayed on the classroom walls of the Christian school I attended for many years was, "You never fail until you quit." Those words have echoed through the decades as I have walked and struggled in my own Christian life, and they have been repeated many times as I have tried to encourage others. You can call it determination or perseverance, tenacity, commitment, stick-to-itiveness, or even stubbornness, but it is an inward characteristic that keeps you moving, even though sometimes that movement can seem to be in circles. In and of itself, it changes nothing, but it keeps you in that place in which God can do His work in you.

 

Naaman was rich, influential, and a mighty warrior, but he suffered from a form of leprosy. A young servant girl in his household told him of the prophet, Elisha, whom she believed could heal Naaman. Naaman’s pride and expectations began to interfere when he arrived at the home of Elisha. The prophet sent a messenger to greet Naaman and to instruct him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman’s immediate response was anger at the intimidation he was feeling. None of it made sense and nothing was going the way he expected it to. Words of reason from some of the servants who had traveled with him convinced him to set aside his feelings, and do as the prophet had instructed him. Young children like to hear this story and pantomime and count the seven times Naaman submerged himself in the Jordan’s waters, each time coming up and still seeing the leprous patches on his body until he went down the seventh time and it was then that he marveled at the healthy, childlike skin that was now his.

 

Ephesians 5 and 6 are two of those chapters replete with admonitions on how to live the Christian life – admonitions that are easy to fall short of as they meddle with our marriages, our child rearing, our work habits, and the sins we can find a tolerance for. We, like Naaman, can balk at what God asks of us. The reasons for giving up can come as quickly as Naaman’s initial anger. We may feel intimidated, our pride may be ruffled, our expectations may be unmet. Life, in short, may not make sense because it is not going the way we expected it to. Fulfilling what God asks of us could even be difficult. Naaman’s healing came because he heeded the wise counsel he was given, and even when he felt like nothing at all was really happening to bring a change in him or in his situation, he kept dunking himself. He did not quit. And, because he did not quit, God accomplished the work in Naaman that He had wanted to do all along. Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.