DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE FROGS who were hopping through the woods one day when suddenly two of them fell into a deep pit? The other frogs gathered around the pit, peered down into it and began to analyze the situation. When they realized how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs down there that they would never get out. But the two frogs were of the optimistic kind, so they ignored the evaluation of their friends and began jumping in and effort to escape. The frogs above (their friends?) kept yelling for them to stop. They told the two that it was no use; they couldn’t get out and they were as good as dead. And they kept repeating this over and over.

Finally, one frog absorbed what they were saying. He gave up. Then he fell down, exhausted and discouraged, and died. But the other one continued to jump, ignoring his dead companion. The bunch up top kept shouting, “Give up! It’s no use! In fact, it’s hopeless!”

With one great burst of energy, the surviving frog made a running start and jumped right out of that pit! The negative crowd was astounded and asked, “Why did you keep jumping? Didn’t you hear us?” The little frog explained that he was hard of hearing. He heard their muffled voices but thought they were cheering him on!

I got to thinking about this fable and asked myself two questions: (1) When I am in life’s pits, do I give up easily or do I persevere until victory comes? (2) When I see someone else that is struggling to get free, am I an encourager or do I throw cold water on their efforts? I hope I’m a cheerleader. What about you?

I love the words of Paul to Timothy: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and ENCOURAGE—with great patience and careful instruction.” That’s our calling as believers. Encourage those in pursuit of their goals. When you’re on the sidelines, don’t throw discouraging words at the participants. And if you’re in a pit, turn a deaf ear to the detractors. Tune into God’s promises. He wants you to keep jumping!