Ernest Hemingway wrote some real treasures of American literature: "A Farewell to Arms," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "The Old Man & the Sea," "The Sun Also Rises."
When he was starting out and somewhat struggling to succeed as a writer, he experienced some misfortune.
Here is what happened. He lost a suitcase which contained all of his manuscripts. These were manuscripts he had been working on for many months. His plan was to publish a book with these manuscripts. He simply could not imagine re-writing all of this.
Hemingway was good friends with the famous poet Ezra Pound. He told him about his misfortune. Ezra Pound thought about it, and then pointed out that this was actually something good. He told Hemingway that if he would write the stories a second time, he would forget about the weak parts and the new rendition would be even better than the old one. By doing this, he encouraged Hemingway to begin again with confidence and optimism.
Ernest Hemingway rewrote those stories. Over time he became one of the greatest writers of American literature. He simply needed to hear someone say that he could do it.
Sometimes, that is exactly what we need. Our struggles and problems seem so large, but they can be overcome. We just need the confidence to keep on going. At certain times in our lives, we need a word of encouragement.
Let’s look around us today for someone who needs to hear that word of encouragement from us. Let’s listen carefully for the whisper of God in our own lives, as God encourages us to never give up.