Two of the greatest men who ever lived thought their lives were over before their moments of opportunity arrived. Where are you in your story? Know this: It is always too early to give up on God. 

Joseph named his first son Manasseh. The name means “causing to forget.” He named his second son Ephraim. It means “fruitful.” Joseph lived in a new world with new opportunities and responsibilities. It appears he was making a break from his past. 

Moses ran away from his past as a Hebrew raised with the Pharaoh’s extended family. He ended up in the middle of nowhere. He named his son Gershom which means “a foreigner there.” Moses was a foreigner in a foreign land. He was also a foreigner to all he had known.

Jo and Mo thought their lives had run smack dab into God’s Greater No. Who would blame them? Circumstances said so. 

Joseph went from favorite son to hated brother to slave to accused criminal to prisoner. That’s a long, hard road down to the pit of despair. 

Moses went from rescued baby, to elite childhood, to would-be rescuer, to murderer and fugitive. That’s a long fall into a wilderness more populated by sheeps than peeps. 

Two men were at the ends of their ropes. Two men gave up on what they thought their lives were all about. Two men closed the first volumes of their life stories and began writing their own stories. 

Then God stepped in. When Jo and Mo gave up and moved on, God moved in. The best part of their lives began when they were searching for a better plan. 

So let’s stop today where we started. Where are you in your story? If you don’t give up on your life, what could God do with you to his glory? 

It is always too early to give up on God.

—

I will wait on God and lean into my next chapter in full resolution not to quit before I’m done. 

—

Our Father, thank you for how you take our hopeless ends and provide us with endless hope. Thank you for meeting us in our moments of loss and turning them into directions toward new and better destinies. We may not be where we want to be, but by your grace and in your power, you will lead us from where we are to where you want us to be to accomplish your purpose for our lives. We trust you to make your dreams for our lives come true. Amen.