Never Give Up

There is some controversy over the Winston Churchill, the then Prime Minister of Great Britain, "Never Give Up" speech given in 1941. Some say he never actually said those words but instead "never give in". So being curious, I did some research. What I found in the text of that speech is worth repeating this week as we contemplate why we feel so defeated by our addictions, sins and choices. Here is an excerpt:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our school history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.
Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure we only have to persevere to conquer.

And as I watched the film "Pearl Harbor" last night I realized that things could be so much different today without the resolve to Never Give Up. Just think, as Christ sweat blood in the garden before the task he had to face, how much courage and faith is required to just not quit when things get too tough, when everyone else thinks the battle is lost, we must remember that heroes like Churchill and Roosevelt stood in the gap for us, but none took a sponge and erased the slate of our defeat like Jesus did on that cross.

When we think the darkest moments are at hand, the hand of God Almighty brings a miracle of healing. Regardless of the actual interpretation of what Churchill said, the meaning is clear: Never, ever, ever, not ever, give up!