Mountain View - Perseverance By Paula Friedrichsen
Writer Author Church On The Mountain
Christian Column
:
Encouragement
- Fiction No
One may go a long way after one is tired. ~ French Proverb ~
There's a story about the California gold rush that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold out of the mine. All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success. Finally, they gave up in disgust, sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and went back home.
Now, the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. And only three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold! With a little more persistence the two brothers that left would have been millionaires themselves.
“Perseverance” is defined; to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.
What is the “gold” that you’re pressing toward? What difficult thing are you trying to undertake? Maybe you’re trying to embark on a new career path… Or perhaps you’re attempting to overcome an addiction…. It could be that you are asking God to restore your marriage and you’re doing your best to cooperate with His guidance for your life. It doesn’t really matter what exactly the gold is that you’re digging for—it takes fortitude and perseverance to keep digging.
Perseverance is essential when you’re tempted to give up and call it quits. C.S. Lewis said, “What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.” When things get difficult I find it helpful to focus on the next step ahead, instead of ruminating about the entire journey in front of me. I just look a bit ahead, ask for God’s help, and keep taking steps in the right direction. Even if I fall, even if I loose momentum, even if I fail, I must keep getting back up and taking steps forward.
The dichotomy about perseverance is that you can’t get perseverance without first being put in a position to need perseverance. It’s “on the job training”, so to speak. Perseverance develops as the Lord allows us to endure difficult circumstances. And it becomes so much easier to persevere in difficulty when we have a proven track record of God’s faithfulness in our lives. We become utterly convinced that He’ll strengthen us, help us, and see us through no matter what.
The really agonizing experiences of my life have deepened my walk with God (and my trust in His goodness) in such a way that I have learned to trust Him, even when I’m suffering. This is perseverance, persistence, and pressing through. It’s digging until you reach the gold.
I have learned to press through to God’s goodness in every situation. To press through (even in the midst of pain, hardship, or distress) to that place of peace I have with God. To press through to receive His healing even when everything around me says to give up. To press through no matter what! You know why? Because He’s worth it. He’s worth my steadfast trust and perseverance—and He’s worth the effort to dig a little deeper until I reach the gold.
Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
California
Country:
United States
Email:
Paulafriedrichsen@live.com
Website:
www.churchonthemountain.org
Profile:
Click here!
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