Perseverance

Perseverance is the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. 

There are two types of people; those that let circumstances define who they are, and those that define circumstances while learning and growing from them. Which one are you? Fact is things are going to happen in life, good things, bad things, it just is the circle of how it happens. But, when life trips you up, or the storms move in, or hands you lemons. What do you do? Do you give up or do you get up?

I do hope that you would get back up and keep moving forward. In the last couple of days things have not gone well for me. I found myself the other night being tripped up in life once again and falling pretty hard. For two months I had been planing on doing something to move forward in getting to the Philippines, just for it to be ripped away at the last moment. When we go through these times it can be heartbreaking. It is a hard moment. The last few years have been filled with many moments like this. Some are easy, others are just down right hard. 

Now it would be easy to give up. But, that is not what I will do. In times like these, I get back on my feet, dust myself off, and continue to run towards Christ. My hope is in The Lord. He knows the plans in my life and I know that Christ will be here for me and will not let me go. I know that God has great plans for my life. I can not give up just because something pushes me down. My focus is on The Lord and what He has for me. 

Take a moment to think about this passage, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NKJV)"

God wants a people that will persevere, that no matter what is thrown their way they are still going to follow Him and advance His kingdom on Earth. A situation may be hard, but God has already given us the victory, all we need to do is declare that victory over our circumstances and push through. God allows things to happen to help us grow, to expand our faith in who He is.

Let me end with some encouragement. No matter what is thrown your way, what ever trips you up, God is always there for you. He wants you to grow and not give up. He wants you to persevere and have faith in who He is. You can stop running the race because you got hurt or you can get up and resume running towards Christ knowing things are going to get better, that you will be stronger in your faith, and that God has great plans for you.