Perseverance: Being persistent, refusing to stop despite failures, delays and difficulties.
How many times have you reached a point where you are wanting to give up? You sense that the efforts you have been offering are not yielding the results or goals you have been shooting for. Many of us have decided that your life is over if you fail at something. We spend so much time working hard to not experience the reality of failure because it has been built up in our minds and in our culture as the worst moment one could encounter. What happens when this inevitably takes place? Do we explode? Does the world suddenly evaporate? It is unlikely these larger tragedies happen beyond our own mental world, yet they are so debilitating that we often don’t risk the possibility of them taking place.
So much about the life we live as people of virtue involves knowing that there are going to be moments in life that involve a choice to decide to refuse to stop and to keep going! The good news for those of us who have found faith in Jesus is that we are not walking alone in this pursuit of life. We can look to the future with anticipation, even though the current circumstances look grim. Why? Because we have an eternal hope that everything will be done “on earth as it is in heaven“. We also hold to the promise of the Holy Spirit to engage, reveal, and bring about the Father’s mercy.
So many times in my life I have started on the journey of health only to slow down and lose momentum when I am sore from a workout, or I have an injury. It is in these moments that there needs to be a will and a persistence to not give up or stop. It comes from being committed to the decision you already have made with yourself. How much time to we lose because we go through the same process of deciding to do something only to give up, stop, and have to do the process all over again? What are we doing to ourselves?
I challenge you to not stop when the incline of the process starts to get steep. You are stronger and more resilient than you probably know, and it is the willingness to adopt the virtue of perseverance that will make the difference. My encouragement is to keep on the forefront of your mind as you grind and are tempted to downcast your few to your feet. This is not fitting for a virtuous man or woman, you are to pull back your shoulders, stand tall, and look forward with confidence that what you have to offer is of value.
You are called to live a life that brings importance to the world, even if it is just the people that you encounter on a daily basis. Never forget your worth is far greater to God than any person here on this earthly plain. My hope is that you encounter the love of Christ that draws you in, binds your wounds, and speaks the voice of truth as you persevere!
Keep Looking up!