Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up

One of the greatest speeches I have ever heard was given by Jim Valvano at the 1993 ESPY Award show. If you ever get a chance to listen to the speech or read it I would encourage you to do so. It still gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it. Valvano may be famous as the coach at N.C. State when they pulled off the greatest upset in college basketball and won the 1983 NCAA title game. Each year ESPN does a Jimmy V week to raise support for the Jimmy V Foundation. Their motto, which he mentioned during his ESPY speech, is this: “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

As I look back at this four year journey to get my master’s degree one of the things that I have learned is to not give up. It has not been easy and I have wanted to give up many times. Usually during the first week of classes of each semester I would look at all the assignments I had and would want to quit. Yet somehow they would all get done. I survived learning Greek and Hebrew even when I wanted to quit those classes. But as I look back I realize that if I had quit I would have never finished and earned my degree even if the finish line took longer than expected.

It was something I learned as a child growing up. I remember my parents telling me if I started a sport I was going to have to finish it. And I did even if I didn’t like the sport or the coach or if there was something else I wanted to do. I had to stick it through. I made a commitment and I was going to finish. But it taught me to not give up. (I realize there may be circumstances that may cause someone to have to quit. That is understandable).

I wanted to quit going to college before my senior year. I pleaded with God to let me quit or even to go to another school but it didn’t happen and I knew I had to go back to finish what I started. I am glad I did because if I didn’t I would not have met my wife (and I also wouldn’t have finished my degree). By getting my college degree I was able to go and do my master’s degree. I am thankful now that I did not quit.

Jim Valvano told the crowd that night that he planned on being back at the next years ESPY’s out the same award he had just received. He hoped to fight cancer and hoped to raise money to find a cure. However, eight weeks after his ESPY speech, Valvano passed away. Even though it has almost been twenty years since he gave that speech, many are still touched by it and can remember the words “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

I know life is tough and there will be times when we will all be tempted to quit: Quit on marriage, or give up on your kids ever changing, or quit on your dream or even quit on life. But I would like to encourage you to stay on the path and continue the journey. I also want to encourage you with these words “don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”