Incredible Inspiration

[wingsfree]

I want to tell you about a man who overcame his story of being a loser and a victim. He had to go to work to support his family at the age of 7 because his family was forced out of their home. His mother died when he was only 9 years old. His beloved sister died when he was only 10 years old. At the young age of 25, his first business failed. He ran for office as a state legislator when he was 26 and lost. He also lost his job and wanted to go to law school, but he was refused admittance.

When he was 27 he borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the first year, he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off his debt. He ran for the state legislature again at the age of 28 and this time he won. He was engaged to be married and his sweetheart died and his heart was broken. This led to a complete nervous breakdown and he ended up in bed for six months.

A year and a half later, he ran for speaker of the state legislature and he was defeated. He ran for elector two years later and was defeated again. Three years later he ran for Congress and he lost. He waited another three years and ran again…this time he won and went to Washington. Two years later he ran for re-election to Congress and he lost. He returned to his home state a year later seeking the job of land officer and he was turned down. Five years later he ran for state Senator and he lost.

Two years later he sought the vice-presidential nomination at his party’s national convention and he only got 100 votes. Two years later he ran for U.S. senate again and lost once more. And finally he ran for President of the United States and he won.

He says of his life: The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, “It’s a slip and not a fall.”

This man was Abraham Lincoln.