Perseverance

As my freshman year of college is coming to a close, I can't help but think of the word perseverance as I reflect upon all of my experiences since August. So many times I have had to push through junk in my life that I did not want to deal with. Things that were mental and things that were physical. Most of the time it was relational problems. But the simple fact is, we are all going to have times in which we need to persevere. Times that we need to overcome that "junk" in our lives. Not only do we need to, but we are called to do so. Paul shows this as he encourages the Christians at Philippi to persist in their pursuit of knowing Christ:

"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Philippians 3:12-14

There are so many instances in life in which we are called to persevere.

Smaller situations like...

• getting up out of bed and going to class when it's the absolute last thing you want to do
• being nice to that person when you could actually care less
• going out of your way to make sure someone is alright
• doing a favor for someone who wouldn't think twice about returning it
• treating others how you would like to be treated in every circumstance

Or maybe bigger things...

• accepting change, no matter how you feel about it
• wanting to react to a situation, but knowing it won't change anything
• accepting the reality of a problem
• realizing the death of a dream
• loving that person that's hard to love
• perhaps even accepting the death of a friendship
• keeping your head held up high so tears won't run down your face
• putting a smile on when no one knows your world is crumbling around you
• knowing you don't always get what you want or think you deserve

...and this list could easily go on. So, how do we persevere when things don't go exactly the way we planned? We must be prepared to take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. This is the essence of perseverance. One step at a time. We must be prepared for change. We must be prepared to let God intercede our own plans with His will.

This quote was given to me on a handout from a businessman we got to meet on our freshman business trip several weeks ago. He offered several perspectives of his that had helped him throughout his career.

"There is only one universal constant (besides God)...that universal constant is change. Either accept it and capitalize on it, or be crippled by it."

I find this quote to be so true. I love that we as students get to work with experienced businessmen who will offer those kinds of tips and insight. Can't put a price on them. There's my official Hickingbotham School of Business plug. But really, that statement holds quite a bit of truth. We should look forward to change, as it is inevitable. And generally, change is for the better. Cherish those who persist with the changes of your life.


Your life is changing. Better embrace it.