"Despair Is Criminal"

Samuel Johnson (a literary giant of the 18th century) spent a lifetime fighting sloth and resolving to get up early in the morning to pray. These are entries from his diary and prayer journal--a  record through the years of Johnson’s life-long resolutions, failures, and frustrations:


1738: He wrote, “Oh Lord, enable me to redeem the time which I have spent in sloth.”
1757: (19 years later) “Oh mighty God, enable me to shake off sloth and redeem the time misspent in idleness and sin by diligent application of the days yet remaining.”
1759: (2 years later) “Enable me to shake off idleness and sloth.”
1761: “I have resolved until I have resolved that I am afraid to resolve again.”
1764: “My indolence since my last reception of the sacrament has sunk into grossest sluggishness. My purpose is from this time to avoid idleness and to rise early.”
1764: (5 months later) He resolves to rise early, “not later than 6 if I can.”
1765: “I purpose to rise at 8 because, though, I shall not rise early it will be much earlier than I now rise for I often lie until 2.”
1769: “I am not yet in a state to form any resolutions. I purpose and hope to rise early in the morning, by 8, and by degrees, at 6.”
1775: “When I look back upon resolution of improvement and amendments which have, year after year, been made and broken, why do I yet try to resolve again? I try because reformation is necessary and despair is criminal.” He resolves again to rise at 8.
1781: (3 years before his death) “I will not despair, help me, help me, oh my God.” He resolves to rise at 8 or sooner to avoid idleness.

 (Thanks to Tullian Tchividjian for including this in a recent post.)

You may find it strange that I find something incredibly encouraging about this,

but I do!

Looking back over 2012 and forward to the next 363 days, 

I say with Mr. Johnson, "I WILL not despair, help me, help me, oh my God!"
Despair IS criminal!
Hope springs eternal.
There is GREAT HOPE in the Lord!