Persistence
A couple of weeks ago one of the ladies from my WR squad suggested we should pray and ask God to give us a word for this upcoming year. So I did! God made it pretty clear that my word for this year is ‘persistence’. After much confusion over the difference between persistence and perseverance I found a definition that made so much sense.
“Persistence means sticking to a course of action, while Perseverance involves sticking to a belief or idea. Perseverance is the macro- (the big picture) while persistence is the micro- (the details). One must be steadfast in the pursuit of his dreams and major goals as one must be steadfast in accomplishing the specific tasks necessary to achieve those goals. In both cases, there will likely be many obstacles and difficulties.”
OR “Persistence could be considered a daily pursuit of actions or tasks while perseverance is measured in weeks, months, years or even a lifetime.”
All I could do was laugh! God knows His children so well! Ha! I have known for a while that I am a big picture person. I can see the problem and the solution; the A to Z but I tend to forget about the B,C and D’s! It’s in those details that I often meet a lot of discouragement and doubt. It’s where I am faced with challenges that stare back at me screaming “You can’t do this!” Sadly, there are times when I will come into agreement with those lies.
I was able to identify areas in my life where the lack of persistence has in some ways hindered me. From friendships, to photography, to working out, to my relationship with Christ etc. When it became too hard or too overwhelming I gave up and moved on to something else only to repeat this vicious cycle. What a sucky realization. lol
The current twenty somethings have often been referred to as the “microwave generation.” We want instant gratification and instant results without putting in much work at all. There are a lot of factors that can play into this, from the internet and social media, television and even our parents. I’m not trying to point fingers and put the blame on others because we all have a responsibility in it.
As the time has dwindled down and the reality that in less than 3 months my team and I will embark on this journey so many feelings have come to me. It’s become more apparent that this will indeed be the HARDEST year of my life thus far. The most challenging and heartbreaking faith stretching year. I will see things I’m not prepared to see, I will be asked to do things that will force me out of my comfort zone. I will have days that are just too overwhelming and days that will wreck me. I ask myself often, “Do I reaaaaaallly want to do this?” and the answer is always “YES”! I was reading Hebrews this week and I can’t help but think about Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” Jesus knew the pain, agony and ultimately the death that awaited Him on the cross. It wasn’t going to be pretty yet He endured anyway. He understood what needed to be done and why it needed to be done. He was able to face the pain and see through it the joy that waited on the other side. By no means am I trying to compare my persistence with the work Jesus did on the cross but I can draw encouragement from it. Indeed this will be a hard year but when I think of the possibilities of what type of person I will be afterwards, as my friend Amanda says “you will be so strong,” I can’t help but get excited and filled with joy!
Last April I had a dream and the only thing I remember are the words “push past yourself.” I know I am the only thing that stops me and this year I want to basically get over myself! This won’t be done in my own strength and thankfully when I am weak I can draw from Gods strength.
I have to remember this is not a sprint but a marathon and the importance of taking everything day by day. I have to remember that there is so much growth in the details of this journey. So when it gets hard and I want to run and hide I am determined to persist and push past myself knowing that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Phil 4:13)
I encourage you to pray and ask God to give you a word for this year also. When He does I would love if you would share it with me. 🙂
UPDATE:
With your support and prayers I have raised $8,715 so far!! Ahhh!! THANK YOU! Everyone’s support and encouraging words have meant the world to me! That means I have met my first 2 deadlines of needing $7,500 by August 22nd! WOW!
Prayer requests:
-I still have $7,539 to raise until I am fully funded for the race. My next deadline is December 1st in which I need to have raised $11,000 to be fully funded by March 1st. BUT I am asking God and believing to be fully funded by September before we leave!
-On top of the money I need for the race I still have 2 plane tickets to purchase as well as a few supplies, spending money while on the race ($2,200) and money for Aisha ($418), the child I sponsor in Tanzania! (If you would like to help me with any of these I would greatly appreciate it!!!)
-Protection over my squad and I. The enemy has been trying to attack but it’s not happening
-Training camp is in 35 days (more details to come) but please pray as my squad and I prepare for this!
THANK YOU!
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Kendra
