Don’t Stop Digging
The road to success is rarely a straight line. More often, it resembles the winding paths Jason and I hike through the Welsh countryside. They are full of unexpected turns, occasional dead ends, and moments where you question if we're heading in the right direction at all. I've discovered that the difference between reaching our destination or turning back often comes down to one simple choice: will we keep going when obstacles appear? This lesson was beautifully illustrated in the life of Isaac.
In Genesis 26, Isaac found himself in the midst of a severe famine. Despite God's instruction to stay put in Gerar rather than flee to Egypt, Isaac soon faced a new challenge, and water became the center of conflict.
The chapter tells us that Isaac reopened the wells his father Abraham had dug, wells the Philistines had filled with earth after Abraham's death. But each time Isaac's servants dug a well, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled over it.
"And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours" (Genesis 26:20).
When they dug another well, the Philistines claimed that one too. I imagine Isaac might have felt discouraged. All that back-breaking labor of digging through parched earth only to have someone else claim the fruits of his labor. Bummer!
But here's what captivates me about Isaac's response: he kept digging. He didn't throw his hands up and say, "That's it! I've had enough of these Philistines!" Instead, he moved on and dug another well. And when conflict arose over that one, he simply moved again and dug yet another!
Finally, with the third well, "they strove not" (Genesis 26:22). At last, Isaac had room to flourish.
How often do I give up when situations become difficult? When my first few attempts meet resistance, do I press on or simply abandon the effort?
The wells in our lives can represent many things, from careers to ministries and relationships to dreams. The digging represents our investment of time, energy, and heart. And the opposition? Well, that's simply life happening. Sometimes it's people, sometimes circumstances, sometimes our own fears and doubts filling in the wells we've worked so hard to dig.
But Isaac's example reminds me that persistence pays off. Had he stopped after the first well was contested, he would never have found the peaceful space God had for him. Had he quit after the second dispute, he would have missed his Rehoboth moment, the place where God made room for him.
Whatever wells you're digging in your life right now, don't be discouraged by opposition. Keep moving forward. Keep digging. Keep trusting that God will lead you to the place where He will make room for you to be fruitful.
As Isaac declared, "For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land" (Genesis 26:22).
Don't stop digging, friend. Your breakthrough might be just one well away.