How would you define perseverance?
Staying power?
Battling through the odds when they are stacked against you?
Dictionary.com defines it as: steady persistence in course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
I like that definition, but I like Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s description better.
Here is an excerpt on perseverance from his March 7th devotion in “A Year With Dietrich Bonhoeffer”:
To whomever God grants such experience— to an individual or to a church— to them God sends much temptation, restlessness, and anxiety; they must cry out daily and hourly for the peace of God.
Been there. How about you? At first glance like many other blessings from God, it seems a curse. Until you learn God’s peace and joy amidst circumstance. I’m learning and forgetting. Learning and forgetting. It’s pride. The forgetting happens when I think I’m doing of my own accord. The learning happens shortly thereafter. My prayer is to stop forgetting.
I always think back to one of my trips to the Dominican Republic. Sitting in Gabrielle’s church in Santiago worshiping with the softball guys, the church, and the team at G.O. Ministries. The church was alive with joy as they sang, “I’ve got a joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart— Where? down in my heart. ” What did they have to be joyful about? God’s peace in a daily life of perseverance.
By the way, I like the apostle Paul’s definition too:
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope.
Romans 5: 3-4
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