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Don't Give Up
As many of you already know, my little brother Dre is getting married this weekend. I just wanted to begin the column this week by saying CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Adrian Michael Duran and Siobhan Renee Yvette Lucero will get married this Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so everyone remember to send wedding presents.
Well, since I don’t know too much about weddings and marriage and love and all that “fun stuff”, I’m not really going to talk about that this week. This last week or so God has really been laying three words on my heart, “Don’t Give Up.” Why? I don’t really know. I haven’t thought about giving up lately. Everything in my life seems to be going pretty good. Usually when I write these columns, they sort of reflect what I’m going through at the time, but God has specifically given me those three words to write on, so here we go.
How many of you have seen the new Spider-Man movie? I watched it just the other night (great movie, it gets geno’s two thumbs up approval). I watch a lot of movies for those that don’t really know me, so that’s why I’m always talking about movies in these columns. Serious though, I believe that we can learn a lot from Spider-Man
There’s a point in the movie where Peter Parker (Spider-Man) decides he doesn’t want to be Spider-Man anymore (don’t worry, I won’t give the whole movie away for those who haven’t seen it yet). He throws away his Spider-Man suit and tries to do what he feels is best for him. Things start off good. He’s able to live a so-called “normal life.” The thing about it though is that he keeps seeing people that need him. An ambulance drives by and he takes a step in its direction, but then reminds himself that he isn’t Spider-Man anymore so he lets it go. He walks by an alley where two guys are beating up another guy and he keeps on walking. He reads the newspaper and sees that crime is up 75% since he quit. Everywhere he goes he’s reminded of Spider-Man. He can’t run and he can’t hide from who he’s meant to be.
I’ve been there. There was a time when I didn’t want to go to church. I didn’t want to hear about God anymore, but deep down inside I was hurting. I knew I needed God. Everywhere I turned, and everywhere I looked, there was something that reminded me of who I was supposed to be. I think we all go through times like that in our lives where we question our faith, but sometimes we give up too early, right before God’s about to do something great in our lives. We lean on our own understanding and try and do what we think is right instead of hanging in there and letting God work things out. I’m reminded of Abraham in the Bible. God had promised him that He would make Abraham the father of many nations, but Abraham had a problem. He didn’t have any children and he was getting old. Instead of believing God, he came up with his own plan and had a son with his wife’s maid.
But even though we are unfaithful, God is still faithful. God still gave Abraham the child He had promised. God still loves us no matter how bad of a mistake we make. Abraham could have settled for that false blessing, but God had promised him more. Peter Parker could have settled for a normal lifestyle, but he was called to be Spider-Man. God has a great plan for each and every one of you. Don’t settle for second best.
So when times get hard in your life, remember these three simple words: DON’T GIVE UP. Hang in there. Keep fighting the good fight. Endure to the end as a good soldier. It’s time once again for us to pick up our cross and follow the calling that God has placed in our lives. Spider-Man says something in the movie like, “sometimes you have to give up your own dreams for the cause of something better.” Trust me, our own thoughts and dreams cannot compare to God’s. He has the perfect plan for your life if you will just keep your trust in Him.
That’s all folks. Hope to see some of you at the wedding. Peace.
w/muchluv,
geno
geno@puthimfirst.com
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