What do Abraham Lincoln and Babe Ruth have in common? More than you probably think. I was talking to my husband a little while ago about how hard it is not give up on our dreams. It’s easy to think about quitting when you don’t see immediate results. However, if we choose to give up and stop trying, then we’ll never reach our goals.

So, if you haven’t guessed it yet that’s what Abraham Lincoln and Babe Ruth have in common. They never gave up. No matter how many times they failed, they kept on going. In spite of multiple failures.

What Do Abraham Lincoln and Babe Ruth Have in Common?

Abraham Lincoln’s Failures:

Although Abraham Lincoln ended up becoming President of the United States, he suffered many defeats throughout his life including:

• Being defeated for Illinois state legislator in 1832.
• He started a business only to see it go under and had to declare bankruptcy. It was a store in New Salem, Illinois. His partner died and he could not sustain the business. He eventually paid off all of the business’ debts.
• He lost his run for Congress in 1843 and again in 1848.
• He lost his bid to become a U.S. Senator in 1855.
• He ran for Vice President of the U.S. in 1856 and lost.
• He again ran for the U.S. Senate in 1859 and lost yet again.

Babe Ruth’s Failures

Although Babe Ruth was called the King of Home Runs with 714 Home Runs, He actually had more strikeouts 1330 strikeouts to be exact. If he had given up after all those strikeouts, he never would have become known as the King of Home Runs.

More People Who Never Quit

Neither Abraham Lincoln nor Babe Ruth quit. They didn’t give up. They kept moving forward and followed their dreams and their hearts regardless of the obstacles and failures that they faced.

What do the people below have in common? They also never gave up.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four-years old. He also failed his entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic school located in Zurich at sixteen-years old. And, even his father considered his son to be a major failure. Later, after finally graduating from college, Einstein worked as an insurance salesman, but quit because he failed at that too.

Dr. Seuss

Although He is now one of the most celebrated children’s authors of all time, he is also one of the most famous failures. Dr. Seuss intended to earn his PhD in literature Lincoln College, Oxford, but failed and subsequently dropped out of school. His first book, And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected 28 times but he didn’t give up. By 1991, he had sold over 600 million copies of his books in 20 different languages before he died.

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves suffered through tremendous hardships growing up. At the age of three-years old, his father abandoned his family. His mother married and divorced four separate times, moving him from Australia to Canada, and finally ended up in Los Angeles. In 1998, he fathered a child with his then-wife, who died as a stillborn at 8 months. 18 months after their relationship ended, his ex-wife was killed in a car accident.

Sylvester Stallone

Stallone’s life was incredibly tough. At one point, he was homeless for three weeks, living in the New Jersey Port Authority bus station. Also, he was so broke that his electricity was turned off while while writing the script for Rocky, and he was forced to sell his dog for $25 just to turn the lights back on. Additionally, he was rejected by talent scouts over 1,500 times.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in history. He holds 1,093 patents to his name. However, he failed over 10,000 times when attempting to invent a commercially-viable electric light bulb,. When asked by a reporter how it felt to fail so many times, he merely stated, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

Don’t Give Up

As stated above, the one thing that all these people, from Abraham Lincoln to Babe Ruth and the others, have in common is that they didn’t quit. They never gave up. The same can be true for us also, especially as believers.

No matter what challenges you are facing, what visions, dreams or goals you have for your life don’t quit. Keep on going and let God be your strength. Step out in faith and don’t let fear stop you.

Don’t let discouragement or the past keep you from moving forward in faith.

It says in Hebrews 13: 5 that “He will never leave you, nor forsake you”.

God is with you on this journey called life. No matter how terrible world events seem to be, God wins. For those who have accepted Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior, our salvation is secure so we win.

If God is for us, who can be against us.

Conclusion

So, keep on going. Keep your hearts and mind on Jesus, and never give up. Look to Jesus and let Him carry you. Abraham Lincoln became president, Albert Einstein invented the electric light bulb, Babe Ruth became the Home Run King.

What do you want to do with your life? What dreams has God planted on your heart? What do you have in common with these people? You don’t quit.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one them came to be.”

Psalm 139: 16

He has a plan for your life. Look to Him and let Him lead you into the wonderful future that He has for you.

Head to My Devotions page for more great devotions.

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