Perseverance and persistence are words seldom spoken anymore. They are lost in dusty dictionaries that are no longer opened. They are unused words that do not find their way on the written page. In the “immediate gratification” philosophy that so bombards our young people, there seems to be no room for patience, pressing on, and seeing something through to the end. Yet perseverance and persistence are needed when we become weary while carrying out God’s will for our family, our children, and ourselves.
Whenever those times of weariness come, and they will come, be encouraged that God will help us through if we ask him. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” The key words are to “press on” even when it is hard to do so. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” That never give up attitude is what makes a cocoon into a butterfly, a pile of bricks into a building, a student teacher into an educator, and a school into a ministry. Sometimes life feels like a broken down furnace, when times get tough it is not time to retire, but to re-fire!!! Ben Franklin once said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.” Parents and family members, as we push through and put our trust in God during the process, He is watching. Jesus will stand with us all the way to final victory! Jesus said this to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:2, “I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance.” What others may not see in you, Jesus sees! Thank you for “pressing on” toward the goal of educating our children for the glory of God!
