Is Giving Up Worth It?

Mark 10:27 (NIV)

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Many cultures of our planet have traditionally been attracted to the moon. That big, yellow, shiny blob in the sky that at times looks like cheese, and at times takes the shape of a soccer ball, has always fascinated young and old.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to actually walk on the moon?

At 6:31 P.M., January 27, 1967 disaster hit Apollo 1 Command module. It had been designed to perform a 10 days orbit around the earth and if successful, the next stage would have been planned: a trip to the moon! That fateful afternoon, as astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee were going through a countdown dress rehearsal, a fire ignited near Grissom's feet. Because the space module was filled 100% with oxygen instead of the typical earth's atmosphere of 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, the fire quickly spread with ferocious hunger. As the astronauts desperately tried to open the hatch, the temperatures inside the capsule quickly ascended to 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Before anything could be done, Apollo 1 was a blazing ball of fire. There was no time for rescue attempts. The three astronauts died within seconds.

How easy it would have been for NASA, after this tragedy, to give up that dream of placing men on the moon. Why risk other astronauts' lives? Why spend unearthly hours for a project destined for failure? Why worry about something that was not meant to be? Was it really worth it?

They didn't give up. In fact, the opposite took place! They took the time they needed to locate the problems in that module and to rectify them. They installed a hatch that would open in 15 seconds; they removed all flammable substances from the capsule, and they adjusted the oxygen/nitrogen air mix. Ten months later, the unmanned Apollo 4 was a success. Eleven months after that the Apollo 7 crew successfully completed Apollo 1's mission. On Christmas Eve of that same year of 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the moon, and on July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong actually set foot on the moon!

If simple men can reach the moon, you can most certainly reach the stars with God's help! Giving up is an easy way out, but is it really worth it? As long as you are lined up with God's will, you will be unstoppable. Yes, opposition will arise and calamities will occur, especially if you are joining God at work, but the Creator is above all of our circumstances!

"Giving up" is music to the ears of the enemy! However we are serving One who is bigger and more powerful than all the possible obstacles that could face us!

Are you reaching for the stars alone or with God?

Dear Lord, help us reach for the stars today with You. Thank You that with You nothing is impossible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.