Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full. Those who ate were four thousand men, not counting women and children.  

"All the right friends in all the right places, we’re goin' down. They’ve got all the right moves in all the right faces. We’re goin' down. Let’s paint the picture of the perfect place. They’ve got it better than when anyone’s told you. They’ll be the King of Hearts, and you’re the Queen of Spades. Then we’ll fight for you like we were your soldiers. I know we’ve got it good, but they’ve got it made, and the grass is getting greener each day. I know things are looking up, but soon they'll take us down before anybody's knowing our name." 

One of the principles of right living that every leadership seminar will speak of is the idea that we can never give up. The study will often quote the famous statement by Winston Churchill: "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never--in nothing great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." That is to say, we must always keep trying to do what we can in things that mean something, no matter what the circumstances may be.

Jesus taught his disciples such a principle throughout his association with them. When he wanted to feed a crowd of people at one time, their provisions were only enough for a few, and his disciples were ready to give up, give in to the fact that they could never get enough food to do what Jesus wanted. Jesus taught them to never give up and to trust in him.

OneRepublic's song "All the Right Moves" is about being second in a relationship and someone else being first. The person in the song is simply accepting the fact that he will lose, and is doing nothing about it. When we want to give up and say that "we're going down" before it happens, we are moving into a "defeatist attitude." Defeatist thinking says that even if we do the best that we can, it will never be enough. Therefore, we will not try very hard at what we are doing. Certainly, there is the possibility that things will not work out, and some acceptance of that in our thinking is realistic. But, the bad part of defeatist thinking is that it destroys the importance of making the effort.

In a sense, we must redefine "success." Success is not the accomplishment of whatever it is that we are seeking; success is making the effort to accomplish it, no matter what the outcome. Making the effort is the goal that will satisfy our human longing, and when we refrain from doing it, we become less than we can be. Our attitude must become positive, so that no matter what happens, we can at least say that we have done our best. Jesus wanted his apostles to have such an attitude. The developing leader will show the same.     

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son often faced impossible situations in his human life. He taught his followers not to give up, but to do the best that they could. Give us the grace to be positive in our approach to living. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America