Persevere.....

 

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.“ Newt Gingrich

“from Latin perseverare "continue steadfastly, persist," from persevereus "very strict, earnest," from per "very" (see per) + severus "serious, grave, strict, austere," which is probably from PIE root *segh- "to have, hold," on the notion of "steadfastness, toughness." (etymonline.com)

I read this quote earlier in the week and it really struck a cord. Perseverance is hard.

To keep on when you feel you could not possibly keep going. To Stubbornly Stick at it when you have already stuck at it for so long. 

Explaining the word and looking at inspiring quotes is one thing, but what was really mulling in my mind was Why should i Persevere or ...Not. What drives perseverance and What makes one quit, give up, let go, were more my questioning thoughts .  Or let me be honest. I was thinking, “Why bother?” Life can be a drag and it was exactly that these past few weeks. I felt like running into the desert, much like Elijah, wanting to lie down under a broom tree and say ...Enough. Beam me up please. 

Trying to navigate life as a single mom. Trying to renovate my guest room and wondering if i have a note on my back saying “Please take advantage of my kind heart, take my money and do a sloppy job” Trying my best to be content in my current “status”.  Still nothing new with my house transfer saga - three years later.....to name but a few things....and all of them in the Perseverance category. This holding on business is definitely tiring, and there is probably even more perseverance needed in the days to come....

Getting back to my question of Why bother?... Mostly i start asking this question when i just cannot see how a specific problem can ever be solved (obviously in my limited vision!) My hope wanes, i guess. I needed more than an inspiring quote to right my little applecart....

Well, God used two separate events to right my thinking...the first was a very early (Zoom) wedding.  A friend got married this morning after some very difficult years and even though i do not know the whole story, it was so sweet and encouraging to see some good come from it. To see her happy and in love, to hear how God had cared and provided. To see how her family had grown through this tough time - still close to God. It really encouraged me so much.  Looking at her life from the outside i could easily see God’s faithfulness and goodness in her life. Sometimes when i look at my own life from my insider-perspective things might look very dark, or unending, or hope may seem slight. But this morning watching their new story begin it was easy to see God’s faithfulness and Goodness. I could see a little glimpse of the greater picture and it was beautiful! But, to get to this beautiful moment in her life she had to persevere. She had to steadfastly, seriously and earnestly keep trusting God. There might have been doubts along the way and some dark days, but she held on. And light broke through and hope prevailed.

The second event happened while I was walking along the beach this morning. From far away i watched as a man walked out of the waves. I could see that he wasn’t walking normally (once a physio always a physio) and i as i came closer I saw the reason for his unnatural gait; he was walking in the waves with crutches! Yes, crutches. My first thoughts were that he was either suicidal or crazy. But it turned out that he was neither. As i passed him I decided to ask if he needed help and after making sure that he was indeed doing not too badly, all things considered, we started talking. He was in full Perseverance mode. He had a few serious debilitating medical factors, but there he was, about a kilometer from his house swimming with his crutches. And then to get home, he had to navigate with those crutches over the soft sand plus a dune or two! His ability to persevere  and persist despite physical pain and ailments was quite inspiring. 

Why should i persevere and not just give up or quit? Why should i keep holding on when letting go and lying down under my pathetic little broom tree just seems so much easier? There might be a few reasons, but with these very real reminders today i realized anew that through my hardships God is testing my faith. He is building my character. Like tempering steel.  God wants me to Stubbornly hold on to His promises, His Faithfulness, His love. Despite how things may look right now. To persevere. He wants me to steadfastly hold on and not give up. There are no guarantees that i might see everything work out or end in fairy tale style here on earth, but ultimately and eternally i know it will. Until then i need to persevere regardless of how it looks now. By not giving up on life as it is right now, a small crack appears in the darkness. By holding on to God’s character of Goodness and Love and keeping on trusting that He does indeed know best, Hope enters. And with that Hope, i walk on.

Bella, 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1

“....but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5