When I was in school, I enjoyed walking around a lake near downtown Minneapolis. I remember one particularly hot and humid afternoon. As beads of sweat dripped down my forehead, I looked forward to drinking the cold, clear water that flowed from a pump-activated fountain located near the walking path.
As I rounded the corner where the fountain was located, I saw a man vigorously pumping the pump handle while swearing up a storm. He pumped hard for about 20 seconds more, and because no water was coming out, he walked away in an angry huff.
At that time, I remembered hearing Zig Ziglar use a pump illustration to tell his audience the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, working hard, and not giving up. He said success requires hard work so one has to pump the handle hard. He then told the attendees, don’t stop pumping—never give up. He said that just because the pumping is hard and nothing comes out even after you have pumped harder does not mean the water will not flow out if you kept pumping. And he concluded by telling us that the water (the thing that we desire) may be just at the point of flowing when we gave up.
I walked up to the pump and pumped the handle hard for about 10 seconds. Suddenly, the water started gushing out. After I satisfied my thirst, I walked over to a nearby park bench and sat down to enjoy the view and consider what had just happened.
When I was thinking about the attitude of the angry man at the pump, I remembered a couple or Bible verses. Philippians 2:14 tells us to do everything without grumbling. 1Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to rejoice always, which includes having a positive attitude. Isaiah 40: 29 tells us that God gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. And Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us.
If the man had known these verses and applied them to his situation, maybe his attitude would have improved to the point where he would have thought, “With a little more effort I can do this” thereby triggering his resolve to keep pumping until the water started flowing.