The day after Thanksgiving, we began our Christmas decorating. It always is my job to get everything down from the attic, put the tree up and put lights on it. My wife does most of the rest. I put a few decorations near the top, including “the topper.” Any outside decorations usually are my responsibilities, too.
That afternoon, I got out the ladder and started to hang some lights from the roof. I’ve done it many times before, and in both Indiana and Michigan, we had two-story homes where I was way up on the roof. But as I started the process, I discovered that the ladder was extremely unstable and that I did not like being on it.
My wife was “spotting” me, but I have serious questions about her ability to catch me safely.  
I’ll just put it this way: Our exterior decorations this year consist of two small trees flanking the front door. Yes, I admit it — I decided that I like my health far more than I like decorations on my home. I started out with good intentions, but along the way I settled for something less.
That’s not a terrible thing to have happen when it comes to Christmas decorations. But I know people who settle for less than the best that God has to offer them in life for the simple reason that they are unwilling to persist and persevere. And that is a tragedy. Jesus once said, “He who perseveres to the end will be saved.” Some translations say, “He who endures to the end will be saved.”
Either way, the implications are clear. The Lord expects us to keep at it.  Now, I’m not going to argue here that one can lose one’s salvation. It is my belief that cannot happen. But this warning certainly has meaning.  Following the Lord is costly. It requires effort on our parts. We are to stick with it.
I don’t know what you are facing today, but I do know that God is fully aware of your situation. He stands ready to help you along the way. But he does not want you to give up. He wants you to persevere and endure.
May I encourage you in this? Don’t give up. Don’t quit. God is with you, and he is enough. You can make it.