“Don’t give up; please don’t give up.” Those were the words uttered in the mind of a dying man but never heard outside his head. And for 45 minutes, two flight attendants didn’t. They took turns administering CPR on the man’s heart and alternately breathing air into his lungs. 45 minutes of either futility or life support – no one knew. All they knew was, the man had had a heart attack and stopped breathing while on a flight, and the pilot had radioed the nearest airport, but it took 45 minutes to go through the whole landing procedure.
Forty-five minutes, sometimes sliding along the floor as the plane lurched upon impact. The landing was rough, but the women kept on. Sometimes tempted to quit, but never yielding. An emergency medical team met the plane in the airport, and with the proper machines, they were able to get a strong pulse and revive the man.
How do I know this? One of those flight attendants was my wife. It’s one of her most memorable moments as a flight attendant, her job when I met her. And as she and her co-worker came off the plane they were greeted by applause from the passengers who waited for them so they could show their appreciation. It was Marti’s fantasy come true. The only thing missing was the six o’clock news.
But the most remarkable thing about this story was what she found out later. She found out that the whole time they were keeping him alive, the man was semi-conscious. He could hear everything; he just couldn’t open his eyes or speak. And the whole time he kept thinking, “Don’t give up on me; please don’t give up.”
We all have spiritually resistant friends and relatives who appear, for all we know, to be spiritually dead. We might assume them to be in the category that Paul described as those who are not being saved, but are perishing. And yet how do we know for sure that they might not be only spiritually comatose – unable to speak, but still crying out from some place deep inside: “Don’t give up on me; please don’t give up.”
That’s why you never give up on anyone. Even the most resistant, obnoxious, foul-mouthed unbeliever might still be one who, deep down inside, is being saved. Don’t give up on them. Spiritually breathe for them. Right up until the very end, because you never know.
John Fischer The Catch 
Thank you for this perspective from the person-who-is-being-saved perspective.
My husband is not a Christian. He has no problem with being one, but does not want to know anything about God or faith. I regularly invite him to the Alpha course my church, but with no success so far. I pray regularly that he will come to faith, and I absolutely know it’s never too late. I’d really appreciate your thoughts on the best way to get across the message. I find personal testimony very difficult and would really love to have a few different lines I could use with him and others. I know the best way is if others can literally see God shining form within us, but I fear that’s not always the case…
Any way you can jump in on our Wed night study? You’d get a lot of help with this. You have the right answer with God in your life and you don’t have to be perfect or know what to say all the time. Just relax, love God and love your husband. What you can’t accomplish, God will do.
I live in the UK so the time difference makes it pretty much impossible to join your call.. But thanks for the encouragement
And did the guy make it? Tell us the outcome tomorrow …. 🙂
Yes he did.
Definitely needed to hear this one today!
I just started crying when I read this; anyone dealing with — as you put it — spiritually resistant people needs to see it.
Thanks, Drew. I hope it can help lots of people.
Thanks for this encouragement to never give up.
thanks for this encouragement today, john … you wrote about someone in my family who would be so easy to give up on … i needed this nudge to keep lifting him to Jesus in my prayers, to keep letting him see Jesus in my life.
God bless you,John, how I wish all believers can read this! Am forwarding it to about 100 on my contact list, some of whom will forward it to others. I will also use it, with credit to you, at every list opportunity.
Way to go Marti!!
Thanks, John. I needed this one. I have some friends for whom I am praying. I hope that everyone can say that.
And I hope that you all will pray for my friends just as I will be praying for yours, even though we don’t know each other right now. Someday we will and lets pray that we will get to know each other’s friends, too.
Amen. Well said!
don’t give up on me, please, don’t give up. . . too many church hurts. Seeking life outside . . . wondering if I’m serving God where I am, swamped with rehearsals and shows in Community Theatres. Want to love others to Jesus . . . but . . . how when hurts are so deep. . . Want to sing for Him . . . wherever I am . .
Thank you John! With today being the first day of Fall, I’ve been reflecting on how God speaks to the world. It’s like He created seasons to scream at us, “Don’t give up! You can change too!” That thought helped me today and now my heart is encouraged again by your post! Blessings to you, Marti and the fam. :o)
Beautiful word, thank you, that really touched my heart.
Thank you many times over, John. So many of us need to be reminded of precisely this. Through you, God has greatly refreshed my happiness in spreading His love and infinite joy.