“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” 2 Corinthians 4:1

When I was in junior high, I began to start trying out for various sports teams. And every year when it came time for cuts, we got the same speech of encouragement. Many of you who attended 7th grade after 1990 may know exactly what I’m referring to: the Michael Jordan story. You know the one. Mike had tried out for the Emsley A. Laney High School basketball team and was cut. But he persisted, practiced, and came back stronger the next year to make Varsity. He intentionally decided not to quit. And although it later came out that this story was a bit misrepresented (Jordan actually made the Jr. Varsity team instead), it still serves as an inspirational anecdote to give hope to aspiring athletes.

But the Bible may even have a better example of the ability to look beyond failures and keep persevering — one man whose list of failures would lead most of us to quit. That man was the apostle Paul. Among his main setbacks were watching the church he founded in Corinth stumble and being sent to prison numerous times. Throw in the shipwrecks, beatings, and betrayals, and he had the most solid justification for wanting to quit. Yet Paul’s ministry is remembered for its unmistakable success.

Let’s learn to look past our failures. Because of God’s mercy, we have every reason to press on and come back stronger than ever. We can truly believe we are too legit to quit.