Perseverance Sucks…But Things Do Change

Photo Credit: wyautoloans.com

We’re all in the middle of waiting for something.  Waiting for employment, or healing; waiting to find our purpose, waiting to find true love, or a creative vision, or a venue to share our talents. Some are farther along, and know what they want to do, and are doing it. But the desired result seems to be evading them.  So we’re all waiting for something.

Perseverance sucks. It can be one of the most tedious expressions of personal character. It doesn’t shield against embarrassment, or shame, or impatience, or personal negativity. And it can be so tempting to give in to passing the time between here and there with vices and mindless diversion. It is easy to dwell on anger and resentment when life hasn’t unfolded in the desired manner and time frame. And then we remind ourselves how selfish that is. But by the next day, it’s all we can think about again. Life can be a messy, confusing exercise, and perseverance doesn’t really seem to care about that.

Maybe I’m wrong but perseverance doesn’t mean being perfect. I think it can coexist with all the human-ness that one normally encounters during life’s dry spells. The fact that we’re burnt out, frustrated, impatient and feeling wronged may be valid at times, the difference with perseverance is that a person acknowledges their mess and then decides to continue forward anyway.

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.  -Author Unknown

I am reminded of my friend and my pastor Eugene Cho, who finally received 501c3 status for his non profit organization that will combat global poverty.  This comes after months and months of costly setbacks, and some embarrassment that he’s spoken of as a result of sharing his vision publicly though perhaps too early in the process. But he kept with his conviction to tackle global poverty and tomorrow he’ll finally reveal the organization, mission, current logo and fund-raising letter. More hard work is ahead but he’s reached a significant milestone with his wife Minhee as they partner in this vision. I’m excited for them and for the lives that are going to be uplifted through their organization’s aid. Good thing they didn’t throw in the towel.

I think about my wife, and her desire to confront the problem of sex trafficking on a global scale. Yesterday, she touched down in Asia, for a 10-day business trip designed to bring her closer to local contacts there, with the 501c3 status in the works. Months ago, we were looking at our finances and feeling defeated about the likelihood of getting her to travel with a small team on this important trip. But through her persistence and the amazing support of many small donations, she’s there now, learning the landscape and making vital connections. It happened, following a long series of very tiny and often annoying steps.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. -Romans 12:12

I think about my friend J.R. Richards, who has been slugging it out for years to get his solo album released, following 13 bumpy but successful years as the singer/songwriter of Dishwalla. My friend Aaron and I worked hard for the past three months to get his album and websites designed, at the end of years of J.R.’s diligence recording on both coasts in “too many” studios. Released two days ago, and after years of our marketing him through social networking sites, the album debuted at #12 on iTunes’ alternative chart and #59 overall, all without the backing of a label. Just like that- things changed for him. A milestone worth pausing to enjoy.

To a much lesser extent, I think about a stupid leg injury that I’ve had since a snowy touch football game early last year. After spraining my calf muscles in two places and later rolling an ankle which made the whole area worse, I went to a sports doctor and eventually massage therapy. Both were helpful but my leg wasn’t getting completely better. It had gone from very painful to walk on to just uncomfortable to walk on, and this after months and months of deep, laughably torturous massage. I had come to accept that I would probably always have a moderate leg problem and was learning to shrug it off. It wasn’t until Brian (the infamous co-writer on this blog) told me that I was too young to have permanent pain like that (at my age, apparently), so I went to physical therapy. After months of sessions, the improvement is incredible and it feels almost totally recovered. It’s a silly little example of life, at those times when we learn to accept less than our best, less than our passion, less than our conviction to serve and to love others, and all because too much time has passed. Or, sometimes the perseverance is needed in response to a serious threat or severe problem that we didn’t seek, and suddenly our lives call out and almost beg us for our best response.

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Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. -Galatians 6:9

Just don’t persevere alone. It doesn’t seem to work. I’ve found that I have to lean on God, and stay close to my wife and my daughter when facing enduring conflict or confusion or what feels like stagnation. That doesn’t mean that I now face these long stretches of anticipation with an iron resolve; far from it. It’s just saying that I couldn’t accomplish patience or some level of grace without them. And so to those who are struggling to persevere in this difficult life, or perhaps feel like you’re losing the race and are in need of a complete rescue, I encourage you to consider Jesus.  He is the Savior to those who need rescuing. His message is a welcoming one- it is love and reconciliation. God’s grace is truly good news. I say that as a person who needed (and still needs) rescue and found it in Him.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

So if tomorrow is typical, and even the days and weeks after that, don’t give up on your talents, your convictions or your hopes.  Keep going when results are nowhere to be found, and even if it feels like no one else believes in the cause.  And when you reach a finish line, your current struggle will probably seem almost quaint in retrospect, though I have no idea why.