Perseverance can seem so elusive, like no matter how much you reach for it, you cannot attain it. Keep trusting God in the moment – do it again and again, and before you know it, you’ve persevered!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with an answer to a big question.
It’s a question I am often asked. People look at my wheelchair, my paralyzed hands – my fingers are atrophied after all these years – they see my legs that don’t work, and, if they look closer, they’ll often see the trace of pain in my eyes, and they will ask, “Joni, how have you risen above all this?” And I have a confession. Sometimes I wonder how I’ve risen above it all! Like, you know, how did I get here; I mean, with my smile, like, what were the steppingstones, how did I arrive?
Well, to be honest, I have not arrived; far from it. But perseverance has brought me at least this far, and the question is, how did it happen? It’s an honest question which, when I look in the mirror, I wonder myself. More than half a century in a wheelchair, that seems interminably long, like, really long! And when I look back on it all, I even get exhausted. But let me try to explain whatever steps there were – or are. Because even still, perseverance – that is, the ability to endure a very hard thing for a long, long time – perseverance can seem like an elusive thing way out ahead of me like a dangling carrot, and as much as I try to reach for it, I can’t quite attain it. And so, I’ve got to go back to trusting God in the moment, however difficult that moment may be. And I do it again, and again, and before I know it, I’m there. I’ve made it to the other side.
And when I say that I have “made it to the other side,” again, I don’t mean that I’ve arrived. I mean that in small and not-so-small ways, I now prefer waiting on God, rather than feeling impatient. I prefer to smile, instead of to frown. I prefer to say encouraging words, rather than complaining ones. I prefer to trust God at his word, rather than to doubt him. Friend, to persevere is to endure a hard thing for a long time, leaving the length of the trial totally in God’s hands. Honestly, at first it looks overwhelming – you know, you’re in a bad marriage, or your child has been born with a tough disability, or you just received a diagnosis of some autoimmune disorder, and you think, “I’m not going to make it. I’m ready to throw in the towel!” Look, I know how that feels. So, how do you make it? Well, the author of Hebrews says this; he says, “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Oh, you know, looking back over decades of paralysis, I stumbled more times than not; it was three steps forward, five steps back. But I kept at it. I did not throw away my confidence in God. And I stopped worrying about the length of the trial; I just put it in God’s hands, doing the next thing, choosing the good path, and leaning hard on Jesus for every ounce of strength. And friend, if you can do that, Hebrews says that your perseverance will be richly rewarded. And you will have the incomparable pleasure of Jesus saying to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” You know, I’m thinking this would be a really good program for you to share with your friends, so go to joniradio.org and honestly, you can share this program a number of ways! People are struggling and looking for hope in hardship, so please share these words with someone you know, and then pray with me, would you? “Jesus, you are the One who dwells in me, closer than my breath. Infuse me today with your perseverance, and your patience, and your determination. I ask for the strength that you’ll give this hour, and this day, in Jesus’ strong name. Amen.”
© Joni and Friends