“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

When do we finally say, “enough is enough” and move on?  It’s really hard to know when.  With the entrepreneurs I coach or advise I use the three times rule…The first time they want to quit or give up, I tell them to “Get back on the horse and carry on. It’s not as bad as you think it is.” The second time they come to me, I say, “If you quit now then you won’t know what could have happened as quitting is a permanent decision to a temporary problem.”  And the third time they come to me, I give them a hug and tell them, “It’s okay and it’s time…you gave it your all.”  I probably tell people to stick with it too long, but I don’t ever want to have it be that someone has to live with “ifs”, “buts” or looking over their shoulders wondering what could have been.  We know the past can be haunting so I think it is better many times to give people one or two more tries before hanging it up.

Jesus gave us the parable of the barren Fig tree so we would know that He will never give up on us and that He is there for us with special attention, care and love.  Is it possible that we know someone today who desperately wants to give up on something that we know deep down inside that it will be a huge mistake if they quit now? If someone comes to mind, or we run into that person any time soon, then it may well be that it is us that they need for the encouragement to keep on going.  Let’s do our part to keep our eyes and ears open today for those who are asking the question, “Just when do I?”

Reference: Luke 13:6-9 (New Living Translation)