Recently I have been feeling inspired by the words and ideas associated with perseverance. I've been contemplating some questions. What does it mean to persevere? Is it ever to late to try again? Is it considered perseverance when you don't give it your all?
Perseverance is a very integral part of my SM year. Without it I honestly don’t think I could make it through the hard times. I would be packing my bags and heading home. Please don’t read this and think I’m having a miserable time. Overall my time is pleasant and getting better the longer I’m here. However, there have been times, and I’m sure there will be more, when everything is going wrong and my mind and body are telling me to give up. What would happen if I did? What would happen if I allowed those feelings to fester and grow? Maybe I wouldn’t actually quit and go home but I may not end up giving my all.
That seems almost worse than just leaving. I would be physically here but not mentally or spiritually. A quote that I really like says, “He conquers who endures.” In other words, I can overcome if I suffer, withstand, and persevere. It doesn’t sound pleasant.
Perseverance…hmmmm. What an important thought. Most of the time we give up before we even start because it feels too hard. William James says, “Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.” I think he has a point. We might run a mile and feel like we’re dying. By the time we get to the end we give up on the next 2 miles we were going to run. Everyone has a different threshold. For example, a sprinter might be able to run a mile but running five would feel impossible. A long distance runner might have an easy time with 15 miles. For both of these runners there is a point where they are going to have to struggle with defeat. They are going to feel tired. They are going to want to quit. A true athlete will fight through the pain because they know that there is a “second wind.” There is a period of rest that comes on the other side. It doesn’t matter how long it takes them. It is always better to run then stand.
Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use. ~Earl Nightingale
In this race of life I want to be a runner that always reaches her second wind. I don’t want to stop every time that I feel tired. I want to be a champion. I don’t want to be a quitter. I want to be the kind of person that people look to for inspiration, hope, and purpose. How can I be that person if I don’t push myself? How can I be that person if I don’t persevere? I have to remember that I will never be the person I want to be unless I have help. I have to listen to a God that knows what the end of the race looks like. He is the only way I can make it to the end, through all the hard times, and arrive safely on the other side victorious.
I WILL PERSEVERE
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