Perseverance

Perseverance - Perseverance-Perseverance

  This morning I had read a friend’s facebook status that had this very word in it. Right there in an instant it hit me… this was the very thing I needed to remember. When all of life seems like its going wrong and positives are hard to see anymore this is the very moment to persevere!  It almost made me laugh out loud when I looked the word up – I knew what the word literally meant but I was just curious if this in fact was the key thing I had been missing lately. What I found was the very definition of the word is : “continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty  or with little or no indication of success. This was not exactly the definition I was thinking entirely – it was merely to endure the problem with enough dedication that there will be an end. However, "with little indication of success" was not exactly crossing my mind! This point goes much deeper than I realized. Perhaps, it should more appropriately, state "when there is little hope of success".

Hebrews 12:1-4 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”

    At this point, God revealed to me something in this verse that never truly hit me as hard as it is now. I have never had to shed blood for any problem I have had to endure. I think sometimes we as humans tend to look at ourselves with a sense of entitlement when we have endured problems – as if the world owes you or I something. This type of thinking can lead into a trap of self deception. The truth is Jesus has showed us the example to live by. We need not let the flesh interfere with the greater purpose for which we have been called.  There is a constant reminder we must keep at the forefront to have a fighting chance – that is adversity gives us the chance to grow.

Job 5:6-17: “For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside. The lowly he sets on high and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night. He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.  Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty!”

     In Job’s case, he did not understand why he was suffering which gives us a practical example of perseverance in action! Through his suffering Job’s faith had a chance to grow, but on the other hand, we must realize that God does not eliminate all hardship when we are following him closely, and good behavior is not always rewarded by prosperity. Reward for good and bad are in God’s hands and are given out in His infinite wisdom.

     Like Job, Jesus suffered greatly for no fault of his own. However, God used Jesus’ suffering to bring about the greater good for generations to come. This again reminds us that we can’t see the bigger picture. It is our job to persevere through trails and difficulties – after all pain can helps us grow. The enemy’s ploy is to get us to doubt God’s goodwill towards us!

    I made the point above about a deeper point being made- "with little indication of success" – when everything is crumbling around you: what will you do in that moment? Take on the example of Job and Jesus and fight the good fight or give in to self deception? Even I myself am feeling a sense of heaviness with this – it’s not an easy task!!! It takes all of the fundamentals of surrender and trust to a much deeper level.