I JOINED Weightwatchers a few months ago. I lost more than 12 pounds in the first week. It was the membership fee!

Anyway…I’m still going and I’m really trying. At least that’s what my wife and daughter tell me!

Every week I dutifully step on to the scales and see the same numbers come up.

If I’m honest, I have to say they’re sometimes higher than the week before. That’s when I start moaning, which is why my family say I’m trying.

The nice ladies at the meeting keep telling me to be positive and not to give up. You know what? I think they’re right!

Determination and conviction are vital qualities in today’s society, aren’t they?

Winston Churchill summed it up in just six words: “Never, never, never, never give up”. I wish more of us could take that to heart.

Someone in the Bible wrote about “running the race with perseverance” and “looking to Jesus”, who showed such vital endurance in the face of overwhelming opposition that He saw though His mission to the end. The cross reminds us He never gave up.

It is nearly the end of the summer holidays and you may have been fortunate enough to take a break or maybe not.

You may have struggled to entertain the kids and be feeling tired. You may be contemplating a new venture or wondering if you can maintain an old one. Make your mind up now and decide to persevere!

I’m certainly giving Weightwatchers my best shot and I hope you’ll be determined to see through your particular project.

My namesake, Edgar Guest (1881-1959) once wrote a poem that sums up the perseverance attitude.

The last verse goes like this – there are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure, there are thousands to point out to you, one by one, the dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, just take off your coat and go to it, just start to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done and you’ll do it!

Keep trying! – JOHN.