The Key to Persistence

Life is hard sometimes. Can we all just agree about that? We all face struggles, we get busy, and things don’t always go the way we want them to or the way we think they should. When I get tired, or haven’t been making good fitness or nutrition choices, or I’m not spending time with God, I get down and I don’t think very clearly. Sometimes it’s hard to keep on going with my business, sometimes I’m not the best wife, mother or coach that I can be. There have been times that I have wondered how God would ever pull me out of the dark place that I was in and how I would keep going if He did. When I don’t see the results that I want to see in my business it could be so easy to want to just give up. But God promises to light our path, step by step.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” It doesn’t say that it is going to show us what is going to happen ten months or ten years from now. He says that He will give us the light we need to take the next step. And once we take that step He will give us the light we need to take the next one. He gives us the guidance we need for today. For right now. It is up to us to keep going, step by step.

What we do consistently matters way more than what we do once in a while. God wants us to be persistent and consistent. He wants us to keep taking those steps even when it’s hard or we’re tired or we’re scared and He wants us to allow His words to help guide us. God loves us all so much and He wants so badly to hold us close to Himself. He wants us to give Him our attention every day because He wants us. The thing is, so much happens throughout each day that it can be easy to lose our focus or forget to spend time with Him or forget that He’s with us. So in those moments how do we keep on going? Where do we find the strength to take that next step, and then the next one?

This is where those ugly words – discipline and persistence – come in! John C. Maxwell says that “The key to persistence is passion and the key to passion is purpose. We must run with passion, not aimlessly.” 

There have been men and women who have gone before us that have faced life threatening persecution. They persevered even in the face of death because they had a deep rooted passion for what they believed in. I hope and pray that none of us will ever have to face that kind of persecution but if we put it in the context of our daily lives, then in order to face the struggles that we face – big or small – then we have to have passion and that passion has to be backed up by a deep rooted sense of purpose. This can apply to anything from eating right and exercising, to running a business, to having the meaningful relationships with our kids, spouse, family or friends and even God, that we want to have. In order to persist in meeting these goals we have to be passionate about them and in order to be passionate we have to understand the purpose – why is it important?

Jesus went before us and He endured the worst just for us. Whatever trial we face we’ve got Him to lean on and we will get through it if we persevere. Sometimes we just need to keep working hard towards our goals simply because it’s the right thing to do, even if we don’t see the reward or the benefits in the moment.

It’s our turn to run the race and watch for pitfalls. We must lay aside every hindrance that would prevent us from finishing well.

So many people who have gone before us have finished well so why can’t we?