perseverance |ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)rəns|
noun
1 steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success : his perseverance with the technique illustrates his single-mindedness | medicine is a field which requires dedication and perseverance.
2 Theology continuance in a state of grace leading finally to a state of glory.
Perseverance has been a big thing for me all my life. I have always been told to never give up, to keep trying, to persevere though anything. In middle school I even earned a reward for it.
We were doing the physical fitness tests in PE class, and the only test that was holing me back from getting the Presidential Award (highest level) was the darn mile run. Now I have never been a runner, but was always pretty borderline athletic. To pass the presidential test you had to run the mile under a certain amount of time. So the first time I ran it, I didn’t pass it. I ran with the make-ups… still didn’t get that time! So I asked if I could run it again and try and make the time, the teacher let me run it 2 more times. I still never made the time I needed for the Presidential award that year. But with my persevering attitude I did win an awesome plaque for perseverance!
A few years ago while writing my core values, perseverance was one of them! So with being able to persevere all my life, and holding it as a core value of mine, what could God possibly teach me about it??? I’m a pro, right!???
Well this past month I have been really wrestling with the word, and the concept. It all started when someone at my work told me that I give up too easily!.. Really.. did he really just tell me, miss perseverance plaque winner, that I give up too easily. Talk about humbling.
I don’t want others to think that I will just give up, do people think I’m lazy because of it? Can I finish anything? Or will I run from everything? More importantly I didn’t want to look at myself as a failure, I don’t want the Lord to tell me one day that I failed because I didn’t keep trying. I don’t want to give up.
This past month I have been giving up. This is where the humbling begins. I have had some issues at work, where all I wanted to do was run from them, give up, and not look back. The raising of support for this race, has felt massive this past month, I continued to believe in the lie, that I will never raise that money. Its too big of an amount, I should just stop now and give up. I have even been training for a half marathon and there are some rough days where I am ready to throw in the towel. Even the most important race I will or have ever been in has been suffering. This race started when I was in 10th grade, my race with God. I am in a race, I need to persevere until the end. I wasn’t feeling the way I needed to feel, so I gave up.
This past month I haven’t been doing that. I have let all my emotions, stresses, and busyness take over and defeat me. This whole month I think I picked up His word 4 times. That is it. I gave up.
So God decided to teach me something through this. Every time I did actually pick it up I kept being led to the book of James. I read the whole book of James all the way through about 3 times. Each time James 1:12 stands out
“ Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. “
Then again v 22:
“ don’t merely just listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
We are also going through 1 Corinthians in my small group, and I was reading over what we will be talking about in the next few weeks and I ran into one of my favorite verses: 1corinthians 9:24-27 talking about running the race as if for a prize, don’t just merely run.
Then to rub it in even more, my church did a sermon on perseverance last weekend.
So why am I giving up? I have Him there to help me! He is paving my path for me, He is also right there beside me! I also have so many others there to help! The biggest thing that has been getting me through my half-marathon training has been one of my friends coming along with me on my long runs. She straps her rollerblades on and is there just for support! I love her for that. And that is exactly what I have in my Christian walk. I have many of my brothers and sisters in Christ arm in arm ready to run along side me in my race with the Lord. (Many of you are probably reading this now, and if you are, I love every single one of you for it! And would not be able to do it without you)
I want to be the one to declare this:
1 Corinthians 9: 26
“Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27. No, I beat my body and make it a slave so that after I have preached to others (the world), I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”
And my prize isn’t a trophy, or a plaque, or a crown. My prize will be a prize that last for eternity!
A group of "family" that has kept me running this past year <3
