Perseverance means never giving up. Without perseverance you cannot achieve anything in life. Jesus praises perseverance in following his new life of the gospel, insisting: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives” ( Luke 21 : 28 ).

The biggest failure in life lies in giving up. If you’re flirting with the idea of giving up, you will be throwing away your best future. History has shown that the greatest things in life have been accomplished by men and women who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope.

I’d like to share with you a story about a man who decided to give up on everything: his job, his hobbies, his relationships, even his God. But, before he jettisoned everything, he went into the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God”, he asked, “can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

“Look around you,” God said, “do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light and I gave them water. The fern grew quickly and its brilliant green covered the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But, I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful, but again nothing came from the bamboo, but I did not quit on it. It was only in the fifth year that a tiny sprout emerged from the earth where the bamboo seed was planted. Compared to the fern it seemed small and insignificant. But just six months later the bamboo rose to over one hundred feet tall. It had spent five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.”

“What are you telling me?” asked the man.

“I’m telling you I do not give any of my creations a challenge they cannot handle.”

“How does this apply to me?” asked the man, frustratingly.

“All the time you have been struggling,” God said to the man, “you have actually been growing roots and these roots will make you strong. I did not quit on the bamboo and I will not quit on you. Your time will come to rise high”.

“How high should I rise?” the man asked.

“How high should the bamboo rise?”

“As high as it can?” the man replied.

“Yes,” God said. “It is my will that you will rise as high as you can”.

The man left the forest, renewed in hope, convinced the tide would surely turn in his life if he didn’t give up. The challenges strewn along the paths of life are meant to test your mettle, to see if you’re made of stronger stuff. The moment you feel the greatest anxiety tempting you to quit is the perfect moment to persevere. God never gives you more to endure than you can handle.

Never give up.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy