“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:4

Strong’s 5281:Perseverance –  Endurance, steadfastness, patient waiting for. cheerful endurance, constancy.

My husband for many years ran and rode his bike. He always pushes himself farther than he intends to go. So trying to keep up with him is a challenge. At 79 he’s recently had two complete knee replacements due to arthritis. This has slowed him down, to say the least. But He’s always been a man of endurance and perseverance, and his desire to get back into what he enjoys is his motivation. So for the first time in almost three months we went for a walk.  This time he did not push himself but decided to let his body tell him when he had gone far enough. Curiously, as I walked with him, I started to develop a pain in my foot, and thought he might do better than myself in getting back home. But then I remembered what he told me when I use to run. He would tell me when I would develop a cramp to not stop but to work it out and keep going. He told me if I did that it would most likely go. Sure enough as I persevered on my run and kept moving forward, the cramp would cease and I’d soon be home. And so in our walk, I did just that and the pain was gone.

This reminds me of trials in our lives. Sometimes our trials are short, but sometimes they are long. This calls for perseverance. Keeping my eye on Jesus, I have been able to persevere in some of the worse storms. Like the helpers who assist the runners in a marathon, the Lord is there with His Word, a  cup of water to refresh me when I despair in taking another step.

This race in faith is finished only when we keep our eyes on the goal, the one who began it  calls us to trust in Him.

There are hills and plateaus, there are rocks we stumble on, and sometimes fall, but whenever we call on the Lord, He picks us up and we move on. Hebrews 12: 1-2

CR Isaiah 40:30-31, Philippians 1:6, Isaiah 41:10