The blessing of perseverance

The longer the journey of life, the more one perseveres. One learns to stand. One learns to endure. One builds faith.

Perseverance builds a company, a career, a marriage, a family, a life.

The initial hope, excitement, passion fills the cup of the entrepreneur as the journey begins. All is an opportunity. The market will respond. Customers are plentiful. The cash is plentiful. The culture is rock solid. The people are all stewards, all aligned. All is up and to the right.

But, then, a negative turn of events happens. Markets may change, the economy changes, personal issues may strike, people turn, you name it and the downturn will occur.

One must persevere.

The same holds true for a career. A new job begins with hope and passion, again, up and to the right. Then, reality sets in. Internal battles, politics, company performance, a bad review, the list of issues builds. 

A quick flight is never the answer. One must persevere.

A marriage follows suit. The courtship, the dating, the honeymoon period, the initial years all full of joy, the blessing of children. The world is a great place. Then, life happens. Unforecasted storms happen that rock a world. Death, sickness, job loss, and on and on. The realities of life that aren’t normal dinner conversation.

Perseverance is required.

Perseverance tends to be full of glamour when you talk sports or, say, a marathon. But, there is no glamour in real life.

Perseverance requires sitting in sadness. Perseverance requires life in the foxhole, grinding day by day. Perseverance calls one to have faith, to pray. Perseverance requires love, real love, not the early years of marriage butterflies in the stomach. 

Only commitment carries one through when perseverance is required. The hope, the passion, the energy, these can’t be found. One must have something deeper to sustain, to persevere, an Anchor to hold on to.

But, despite the hardships, perseverance is a blessing.

Perseverance teaches that there are seasons on the journey. And, seasons are temporary. Persevering through a difficult season makes one recognize the blessing of the new season. The new season is not taken for granted. One appreciates the blessing in a way not found during the good seasons.

Perseverance teaches one to be rock-solid commited, to deeply love, to endure. No matter the circumstances, one is all in, immovable. This deep commitment isn’t learned during the good times.

Perseverance teaches one to be present. The recognition of the blessing, of the here and now, is recognized. One knows that today never lasts forever. One learns to fully immerse themselves in the moment.

One that has learned to persevere has a foundation built on a rock. Storms may come, but they will never destroy the house.

As we walk through life today, we will each rub shoulders with those that are in the depths of perseverance. Walk with them.

And, maybe you find yourself in that season where perseverance is required. Recognize the temporary season. Hold on to the Anchor. Talk to a friend, as they want to listen. This is us.

Those that have persevered desire to help others persevere. It is a gift.

Impact others. Live generously.