Persistence and Determination

          There is a framed and yellowed paragraph on my wall. I was so impressed by it that even wrote it in formal calligraphy. The ink is now fading; but the message is still powerful and true. 

          It reads: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination alone are important.”

I like that because it speaks of grit and courage to take one more step; to get up, dust yourself off and try one more time.

          When my son was in High School, he ran cross-country races. I attended as many of those as I could. At the first race, I saw something very interesting. At the end of the race, the runners would funnel into chute so they could cross the line one at a time.

          What I noticed was that when the runners topped the hill and caught sight of the finish line, they slowed to a trot and then to a walk. That was a golden opportunity.

          I know I embarrassed my son by running alongside him and encouraging him to keep running! Keep running! Don’t slow down! As a result of his efforts at the finish line, he was able to improve his finish be a good number of places.

          The Apostle Paul was familiar with races. He said: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

          In the back of my memory, some coach once said to me: “It’s not how many times you get knocked down; it’s how many times you get up!”

          I truly believe the Church is meant by God to be a place where people who have been knocked down by the world can be lifted up.  It is a place where those who have persisted can be trained to help others. It is a place for both spiritual and mental healing.

          Ephesians 4:12 clearly states the Church has been called and organized “to equip the saints for the work of ministry so the Body of Christ may be built up.”

          If you don’t attend a church regularly, I invite you to come and try our church. We are doing our best to live as Christians and to help others find their way to Christ. I’ll be the first to welcome you home.

          May God bless you with peace and prosperity.

          Doug

           



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