Never give up; I’m sure many people have been told that at some point by someone in their life. It’s one of those sayings we hear all the time. But, I believe it is one that most people are so used to hearing that they don’t really grasp the meaning of those three simple words. And yet, those three simple words, never give up, are the most significant words someone has ever said to me. And maybe it’s more than just what the words mean, it’s more of how they are said to me. The way the words come alive by the way they are lived out in front of me.
Plenty of people have told me to never give up in all the different things I have tried to do. I am not the athletic type but every time I try some sport I always hear “never give up!” from various people who know that it definitely takes some effort on my end to keep up. In school, plenty of relatives, friends, and teachers have always told me to “never give up!” when I get stressed out and my work seems to have piled up in an insurmountable amount overnight. Every time something hard comes up in my life I always hear those words, “never give up!”, but the only person that has actually impacted me with those words has been my mom. I guess because instead of just saying those words, she lives those words. She really doesn’t even have to say them with words, her life tells me to never give up, because no matter what happens you can always push through with God.
If you look at my mom now you could never guess the things she has been through, seen, or done. At one point she was homeless, she was a single mom and went through college, she’s been through abusive relationships, she had major health problems, she’s been angry at God and wondered why he put her in the different difficult and trying situations she has encountered throughout her life. Many times when people see her now that knew her in the past, they’re surprised she’s still married to my dad, they’re surprised she’s alive, and they’re surprised at what God has done with her life. She is a mother of 7 kids, speaks at women’s conferences frequently, is highly involved with our church, and is well known within the community. But the only reason she is who she is today and is such an amazing mother, wife, mentor, and example, is because of one thing. She never gave up. My mother pushed through all obstacles in her life with one mindset, I will never give up and God will see me through. She’s told me to never give up, like many others, but to me words are just words until action is added. What has made her saying it so significant to me is that she lives it, shows it, and preaches it by the story of her life. She always says to me, ‘Gabrielle, no matter what, never give up‘; And I don’t ever plan to.
