Debra L. Butterfield is a freelance writer and inspirational speaker. She is the author of Help! My Husband Has Sexually Abused Our Daughter, and editor and publisher of the webzine Glory and Strength.com.
It took intense physical therapy three times a day, seven days a week for my mother to gain back the mobility of her leg. She faced discouragement often and pain daily, but she kept at it. When she scheduled her second knee replacement six years later, she was prepared to do it all again. Removal of her gallbladder nine days after the knee replacement blindsided her though. Nothing she ate would stay down. The pounds were slipping away like melting snow on the parched Colorado prairie. Even a slice of her favorite chocolate cake looked revolting. She felt like giving up. Still, she persisted.
To persevere doesn’t mean you never feel discouraged or like giving up. It means steadily persisting to reach your goal despite how you feel, despite the obstacles that get in the way. The apostle Peter, in
2 Peter 1:6
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, admonishes us to diligently add perseverance to our faith. That is accomplished through fighting the battles with God’s help, confident that he will do what he promised he would do (
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NLT).
Mom is the middle child of seven. She was four years old when the Crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression. She served in the Marine Corps during World War II and lost many of her childhood friends to that war. She raised two boys and twin girls—her first child was stillborn. Mom has seen her share of grizzly-bear battles, yet I don’t remember her ever telling me “You’ve got to persevere.” I learned from her example.
This year saw the loss of Dad. After 63 years of marriage, Mom, now 85, stands strong, trusting God, just as she has throughout her life, to bring her through her grief one day at a time. She is a model of perseverance to her children and grandchildren and to her widowed friends. And, yes, she still plays golf.
When you find yourself in the sand trap, remember God is with you through your troubles. He will never leave you nor forsake you. His strength to help is readily available. Ask and he will provide. Keep your focus on God, persevere and you will reach the green.
