Something amazing is on the verge of happening

One afternoon, I was listening to a radio show while I was driving to an appointment. There, I heard a commentary about Los Angeles Lakers’ shooting guard Kobe Bryant. Two reporters were commenting on how Bryant had created history on the basketball court. He made his way into the top three all-time highest scoring players.

What caught my attention was when a reporter asked Bryant, “How did you do it?” For Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan for the most field-goal attempts in the history of the All-Star Game. Bryant paused and then simply responded, “I took another shot!” Kobe Bryant is now the third highest scoring NBA player in the sport’s history.

Is there a dream that you are ready to give up on? Has it been one ‘no,’ struggle, or setback after another?

Like Kobe Bryant, don’t quit now…. take another shot!

Never think that it’s too late or you are finished, even if you had a setback, made a mistake, or a situation did not go the way you thought it would. Get back in the game. Often times, God has handfuls of blessings for your future. Yet, you may be afraid to persist and take steps ahead. you may be stuck in the pain of the past or held back by frustrations, disappointments or regrets. But God hasn’t brought you this far to leave you here.

Regardless what you are going through, let me encourage you; if there were ever a time not to give up, this is it. If you stop at this point, you’ll never know what ‘could be’ or ‘will be.’ Remember, the moment that you’re ready to quit is usually right before a miracle happens.

For my daughter’s birthday, she received a gift card from one of her friends to her favorite clothing store. Afterward, I placed the card in my purse. Last weekend, we were shopping at the mall, and my daughter and I walked into her favorite clothing store. She had forgotten about the gift card. A few minutes later, she picked out a lightblue dress that she wanted to purchase. So I reached into my purse and handed her the gift card. “You can use this card,” I said. A sur- prised, happy look came across my daughter’s face, as I uttered, “It hasn’t yet been redeemed.”

In the same way, God has blessings for you that are unredeemed! You’re on the verge of something amazing. Therefore, pray and persist with steadfast faith and know that God will come through for you. Recently, at the library, I began reading a ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ book. I recall that the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book was rejected by over 140 publishers. Even the author’s agent gave them the book back saying, ‘it could not be sold.’ However, with a mission dedicated to improving lives and offering inspiration, the authors persevered. Undaunted by past rejection, the au- thors took their proposal to a book convention and passed out 100 copies, asking publishers if they would print their book. One week later, a breakthrough. A publishing house agreed to publish the book.

Today, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series has over 200 titles in print. And they’ve expanding beyond books to food, products, and television, sharing wellness and inspiration to people worldwide.

You have not been brought this far to be left alone. There is more for you just up ahead. In the Bible, in Mark 10:46-52, it tells us that as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, they came across a man who was sitting by the roadside. The man’s name

was Bartimaeus, and he was blind. It appeared that his hopes and dreams were over. But Bartimaeus didn’t give up on life.

When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he began to shout, “Have mercy on me.” People criticized Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet. Yet, he didn’t listen to the critics or to the voice in his head that might have said, ‘it’s not going to happen, forget it,’ or ‘give up; you’re worthless.’

Rather, Bartimaeus had faith to believe Jesus could heal. He persisted and called out to Jesus all the more expecting Him to answer. Suddenly, Jesus stopped. He asked Barti- maeus to come to him and questioned, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Promptly, Bartimaeus answered, “I want to see!” Jesus replied, “Go… your faith has healed you.” Immediately, he received his sight. Bartimaeus was looking for his miracle. He believed he would be healed and asked in faith until Jesus granted his request.