Don't Give Up

I've been thinking about exactly what it means to be a queen. Yes, it is a birthright, but to actually be looked upon and treated as a queen, to earn the crown takes work. A queen carries herself with respect and commands respect, but not by fear. A queen is free with her love, but does not throw her pearls to swine. She is confident, yet humble, elegant, yet down to earth. She is kind and understanding, yet does not let her kindness be taken for weakness, nor her generosity for stupidity. She is at once demure and a pillar of strength. She seeks wisdom and shares it, heeds instruction and correction, forgives (but does not forget), loves those who hate her,  and respects and listens to her Father the Mighty King. These are just a few qualities a queen must have to earn her crown. My, what a daunting list. The most important thing on that list is that even when she fails at one or all of those, she continues to strive to achieve them.

This trod can be challenging to say the least. Many will try to cause me to stumble, and I may, but I will pick myself up, dust myself off, and keep on down the road. I have encountered many struggles in my life, some tougher than others, none so tough that I give up. So many others in the world have had it much tougher than I ever will. But the fact is, my struggles are mine and only mine to deal with, and every man thinks that his burden is the heaviest. But it is the strong that survive. Some people think that strong people never get scared, frustrated, angry, sad, hurt, or discouraged. It is quite the opposite. It takes more strength to continue trying, striving, working hard towards a goal or a dream in the face of obstacles with fear, pain and doubt, than without it. To continue on under those circumstances shows real faith and confidence.

I have had people try to encourage or  manipulate me into giving up for many years. I remember after my first semester of college being put on academic probation and my college counselor told me, "college isn't for everyone, maybe you should go home." Going home without a degree simply was not an option for me. There were too many people who had sacrificed and prayed for me to succeed for me to give up. Fortunately, I found some allies and continued. I graduated with a 3.27 gpa. It wasn't easy, and it was nowhere near the top of the class, but it was so far from where I started. There are those in my life right now who would love to see me fail, to give up. There's no legitimate reason for such a desire, but some people don't want to see others do what they could not. I'm the opposite. Others' successes are mine too, because I pray for them to succeed, and I know my prayers worked when they do.

There's a saying that just when you're ready to give up, that's when things start turning around. That saying alone keeps me going, because what if I give up right when my dreams are about to come true or my destiny realized? Earning my crown is going to take a lot of work, but once I have, there is nothing that I cannot achieve. Never, ever, ever, give up.