Originally broadcast on CHED radio - Date unknown

Many of you will remember the late Dean Grant Sparling. I was very fond of this warm, outgoing Christian gentleman. He had a favorite saying which he passed on to me on one occasion, a saying which has seen me through some pretty trying days. He used to say "When you reach the end of your rope… tie a knot in it and hang on." Let me repeat that, "When you reach the end of your rope… tie a knot in it and hang on.” How often have you wanted to give up, to let go? How often have you felt you just couldn't carry the load any longer? We all feel this way sooner or later in life. But you know, it takes very little courage to quit. The courage comes when you get up off your knees to go another round regardless of the odds and while facing the fact that you quite conceivably might be knocked down again. But the spirit of man goes down hard, and springs from ruin quickly, and deep within each and every one of us, there is, I feel, a great deal more strength than any of us imagine. If, today, you feel licked, if you feel there isn't any fight left in you, if you want to give up so badly you can taste it – just glide for a while. Rest if you must, my friend, but DO NOT QUIT. And above all, burn that little saying in your mind as it is burned in mine. I hope it helps you through the training times as it has helped me. “WHEN YOU REACH THE END OF YOUR ROPE, TIE A KNOT IN IT AND HANG ON!”